Croissants are a baked buttery and flaky pastry product which is recognized by its crescent shape. Despite being associated with France and having a French name, croissants originally came from Austria in all kinds of shapes, from around the 13th century. There is no known reason for the specific famous crescent shape of the croissant that is popular today, but legend states that it was made so to mock the Islamic crescent after the defeat of the Turkish by the French, hence why the croissant is banned in many Islamic countries.