The French very wisely would comment this thread with "Les goûts et les couleurs ne se discutent pas" (Tastes and colors are not to be discussed).
If you want some awsome Swiss croissants, go for the deep frozen ones from Migros (they come in a bag of half a dozen or a dozen). Let them defrost overnight and bake them in the morning. Come back with a comment later, I don't doubt it will be a positive one.
By the way: Why is this thread not in the Food an Drink or even in the Complaints section...?
Those almond croissants do exist in the German speaking part too and are called - wait for it - Mandelgipfel. Might not be exactly the same as the French variety of course but none the less yummy.
I have found that there is an even greater difference between a real "croissant aux amandes" and a Mandelgipfel than between the regular croissant and the regular Gipfel.
My reference for an almond croissant is the one that can be bought at Paul bakeries.
I agree, to be or not to be has to do with Gipfeli (arabic translation for half moon...). At least it looks like if you enter any Swiss coffee shop during morning hours. Thanks for this worldshaking insight
What? Like all croissants in France taste the same and are uniformly better than anything you can buy anywhere else? Give me a break! Some of the worst croissants/pain au chocolat I've ever eaten have been served up to me in France!
It's true, it depends on the bakery. Where I live there are two bakeries near enough opposite each other; bakery 1 has gipfeli which melt in the mouth and are delicious, bakery 2 sells something akin to cardboard.
Holidaying in France over the summer I experienced the same thing - some places have lovely croissants others have crappy ones.
We find gipfeli here as well, it is somewhat more substantial, has more texture. I like the croissants here, so buttery, sheer heaven. But I did have the best croissants in France actually, great taste and so light, without the huge amount of butter needed. If you over butter anything it tastes good. When I eat croissants here I do love the fact I can actually taste all the heavy duty high quality ingredients..
Yes definitely, French Gipfeli called "Croissant' in (German)-Switzerland are muuch better! I tried one last sunday at:
Hotel Restaurant Franziskaner in Zurich's Old Town. Niederdorfstrasse 1, near Limmatquai. Try a chai-tea-latte with it, sit outside in the sun ... so nice!
Another adress: Delifrance Bakery, Escherwyss-Platz, Hardstrasse 322, Zurich
I think you will find that the flour used in france is a different flour using a lower protein french wheat whereas the swiss wheat is higherin portein spring wheat hence a stretchier rather than flakier dough, but its only a guess!
There are also two basic types in Switzerland, normal-gipfeli/croissant/kiefer, and butter-gipfeli/croissant/kiefer, the butter version is pretty much the same as the French ones.
As bakeries are not really allowed to 'bake' here on a Sunday, you often get the pre-fabricated ones that are pre-made and just heated. These are definitely of worse quality. Unforunately more of these quick stop shops also do the pre-fab ones on a more regular basis now.
A well established bakery on either the French or CH side, made fresh, are more or less indistinguishable in my experience.
Ahh, thank you! I was sure that I was offered a choice of two types when I ordered croissants in a Zug bakery (they understood the word and I hadn't heard of gipfeli then)
I can only guess that I ordered the wrong, non buttery ones though, as they were not that good.
An old thread came back to life so now this newbie can comment!
There is no question, French croissants are far better than Swiss croissants (comparing croissants from boulangeries not from supermarkets). And suisse romande croissants are better than suisse allemande gipfeli. Just my opinion.
Have to agree, nothing better than a flaky, buttery French croissant with your morning coffee. I find Swiss croissants/Gipfeli leave a nasty, waxy aftertaste that lines your mouth for the rest of the morning.
Yes, but that is the case with all pastries that trace their origins back to France. I have abstained from eating 1000 feuilles in CH since 2009...NOw, I just cross to France and indulge myself in all those tasty, creamy & delicious French-made sweets. The Swiss suck at it quite frankly...