To be straight or not to be, that is the buttery question.
British supermarket Tesco decided last Friday that they would straighten out their croissants, based on customers’ feedback that the curvature shape decreases the pastry’s ‘spreadability factor’.
The supermarket claimed that up to 75% of its shoppers preferred straight ones because it is easier to spread jam on it. “With the crescent-shaped croissants, it’s more fiddly and most people can take up to three attempts to achieve perfect coverage, which increases the potential for accidents involving sticky fingers and tables,” a Tesco spokesperson said.
This has sparked debate over the flaky breakfast pastry regarding its shape and how it should be eaten – with or without any condiments such as jam and butter.
Some chefs argue that croissant, which means ‘crescent’ in French, is traditionally curved. Others point to the French law that mandates a croissant not made with 100% butter cannot be straight. This means that cheaper croissants tend to be made curved while the straight ones were always made with butter.
Amid Tesco’s move, other UK supermarkets have indicated that they do not have any intention to follow suit and will continue to sell both types of croissants.
