During the siege of Vienna by the Turks in 1683, the Viennese, known for their excellent bakeries, had to ration flour; they made small bread rolls shaped like the crescent moon symbol of the Ottoman empire. Most people think of these familiar pastries - croissants - as typically French.
From an article about Turkey joining the EU from Le Monde diplomatique. However, this article claims that even though the Turkish connection with the croissant is a pretty story, it is not a true one.
Here is more information on this "croissantroversy" which seems to confirm that the Viennese did make a crescent-shaped pastery which found its way to France, but it was not a "croissant." The 19th century recipe for almond paste "croissants" is pretty good proof.
Almond Paste CrescentsAnd here is a bit more from The Food Timeline which seems to debunk the Turkish connection.
Blanch, peel, and pound 10 oz. of almonds; add 10 oz. of pounded sugar, and moisten, to a stiffish paste, with some white of egg; Sprinkle a pasteboard with fine sugar; roll the paste on it to a 1/4-inch thinckness, and cut it out, with a 1 1/2-inch round cutter, into crescent-shaped pieces, 3/4 inch wide; Bake the crescents in a slack oven; and, when cold, glaze them with some Glace Royale, flavoured with Kirschenwasser; strew some coarsely sifted sugar on the top, and dry them in the oven for two minutes."
---The Royal Cookery Book, Jules Gouffe, translated and adapted for English use by Alphone Gouffe [Sampson Low, Sone & Marson:London] 1869 (p. 548)
