Cornetto (pastry)


A cornetto, meaning "little horn", is an Italian variation of the Austrian kipferl and the French croissant. It differs from a croissant in being softer and containing less butter.
The main ingredients of a cornetto are pastry dough, eggs, butter, water and sugar. Egg yolk is brushed on the surface of the cornetto to obtain a golden color during baking.
The cornetto vuoto is commonly accompanied by various fillings, including crema pasticcera, apricot jam or chocolate cream, and covered with powdered sugar or ground nuts. A cornetto with an espresso or cappuccino at a coffee bar is considered to be the most common breakfast in Italy.
The name cornetto is common in Southern and Central Italy, while it is called brioche in the North.

History

The recipe became popular in Italy, and more specifically in Veneto, after 1683, thanks to the intense commercial relations between the Republic of Venice and Vienna.