Ah, the joy that comes from biting into a warm, flaky croissant. It has everything to excite your taste buds — a buttery inside, a crispy crust, and a distinct savory, yet delicately sweet flavor. Whether you enjoy it as a vessel for your breakfast ham and cheese sandwich or simply on its own, there’s no wrong way to eat a croissant, right?
Well, as it turns out, there are more than a few opinions on the matter. According to some etiquette experts, topping your croissant with butter is a major faux pas. Sure, it might seem redundant to add butter to an already butter-infused pastry, but that hasn’t stopped anyone from indulging in the rich practice. But one British etiquette expert took to TikTok to make his feelings on the matter known. According to William Hanson, there’s only one right way to consume a croissant, and that’s with jam or marmalade.
@williamhansonetiquette The croissant is made from butter, so no need to put more on top! #dining #etiquette #williamhanson
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In his brief video, Hanson states you should not dunk it in your coffee or hot chocolate (“even though they may do that in France”), and definitely no added butter. Simply put, butter on butter is a manners no-no. However, Hanson’s opinion is not shared by everyone. The French tend to believe that croissants are strictly to be enjoyed at breakfast dipped into a warm beverage, but they do share the notion that adding butter is improper. Meanwhile, Elaine Swann, a U.S.-based food etiquette expert, says this is a matter of taste, not etiquette. In other words, buttering your croissant may provoke mixed emotions.
Butter isn’t the only contested croissant etiquette
It’s hard to believe one baked good could cause such an uproar, but condiments and dunking is just the tip of the hotly debated croissant etiquette discourse. If you do decide to go for butter, beware there’s a proper way to apply it. According to Elaine Swann, pull off a bite-sized section with your hands and use a butter knife to apply, instead of making a mess by cutting the entire thing in half, flakes flying everywhere.
If butter is debatable, then take all other sweet additives such as chocolate and honey off the proverbial croissant table, as they off-set the rich flavor. And although there’s no official rules when it comes to shape, “croissant purists” implore you to steer clear of any hybrids like the cronut or croiffle (croissant-waffle).
That said, these so-called “rules” have not prevented the world from enjoying their croissants in a myriad of ways. From crispy croissant croutons, laminated cinnamon rolls, and even croissant-wrapped hot dogs — all of which would be sure to make William Hanson’s head spin — there are endless variations to choose from. So, although no one can quite settle on the perfect method for eating a croissant or what to top it with, there’s no denying it will be delectable no matter how you slice or tear it.
