Special Sweet Pastries from the American Doughnuts to the Chinese Mooncakes Around the World

A pastry is not exactly what we know as a creamy cake slice, it extends to anything that is a baked goodie made with flour, water, and shortening that might be savoury or sweet. The sweet ones are often called bakers' confectionery and different countries make different kinds of dough from phyllo dough used in the Turkish baklavas to buttery ones used to make the French croissants. There are so many of these sweet delights that we went ahead and made a little series of it, here’s part 1.

1.Éclair

Invented by the genius French chef Marie-Antoine Carême, éclair translates to lighting referring to the light bouncing off the top of the glaze on an éclair. This pastry is cylindrical which is basically an airy and spongy baked dough that the French call the pâte à choux or choux pastry. The choux pastry has a cream filling and is dipped in chocolate to produce the éclair. Carême polished and displayed this masterpiece to the world in the late 1800s. Given its popularity, different flavours ranging from lemon, caramel, and vanilla have sprung up.

2. Bougatsa

A rustic Greek delicacy, Bougatsa has roots in the Byzantine period and is made with phyllo pastry with a layer of custard made with semolina. During its nascent years, it was just a dough that used to be stuffed with different fillings, especially cheese and meat, hence the name – “pogatsa” which refers to a pie filled with cheese. With numerous Turks immigrating to Greece, this pastry began to be associated with the country, found in shops called Bougatsopolia.

3. Açma

This is a sweet pastry from Turkey that is kind of like a Bagel that is twisted towards its centre. It's soft and flaky and is made in both sweet and savoury versions and often has a sprinkling of sesame seeds on top. It's as popular as a breakfast item in Turkey as the bagel is in the US or a croissant in France. Açmacan be eaten plain or cut in half to be eaten with butter, jam or as a sandwich.

4. Doughnuts

This one's definitely an American invention but not made by the immigrants of the modern world. The Indigenous Americans were said to have been consuming something similar to doughnuts if we go by archaeological remains. But official records state that the pilgrims from the Netherlands brought it to the US. The ones they brought in had apples, raisins or prunes in the middle but over time they evolved to give rise to their current form and shape and commercial chains making doughnuts started popping up by the 1950s.

5. Churros

A Spanish sweet treat that is snacky because of its longish cylindrical shape it's fragrant, crispy and sweet. Churros was invented by Spanish shepherds who found a quick hack to turn dough into something snackable, cooked over open flame. Yeasted dough is forced through thin, cylindrical pipes to result in the ridge-shaped churros that's covered with cinnamon sugar and eaten with a dipping of melted chocolate or chocolate sauce.

6. Pączki

Polish doughnuts are called Pączki made from yeast-rich dough that also contains butter, milk and sugar and a splash of rum. The rum prevents too much oil from being absorbed by the doughnut. They are related to the Austrian Krapfen and are like balls and larger and darker than traditional doughnuts. They usually have fillings, usually rose or plum jams. They are usually made and consumed during the Christian fasting period of Lent.

7. Croissant

Inspired by the Austrian Kipfels, croissants today are the essence of being French that are eaten mostly during breakfast or as a snack. It's made with a slightly sweet yeast dough and a lot of butter shaped into crescent rolls that sometimes have a covering of cream cheese, chocolate or filled with it. The pastry originates in 1683 when Austria won against the Ottoman Empire and the shape is said to mimic the crescent moon of the Turkish flag.

8. Yuebing

Yuebing or mooncakes are a popular treat made during the Moon Festival or Mid-Autumn Festival. It's a pastry whose sweet version usually uses the traditional fillings of Lotus seed paste, black sesame seeds, red beans or dates. These days melon, litchi or pineapple, chocolate, ice cream or nut filling are available too. They are small in size, have an embossed pattern on their top and usually shared among people with a side of Chinese tea.