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Pain au chocolat
It's no secret that pastry is one of France's most popular cultural ambassadors. In fact, it's hard to pass by a coffee shop, bakery or any sort of store that sells baked goods in the United States without encountering that crucial French pastry: the chocolate croissant. However, don't start practicing your pronunciation of chocolat croissant just yet. The actual phrase for a chocolate croissant in French doesn't use the word croissant at all.
Instead, the French call this pastry pain au chocolat, or literally, chocolate bread. Asking for a chocolat croissant in a French patisserie (pastry shop) will most likely get you weird looks, and not necessarily what you're looking for. Of course, a plain croissant is also very delicious, and goes great with chocolate hazelnut spread, a French favorite. Just ask for un croissant (a croissant) at the counter!
Pronunciation:
un pain au chocolat
uh(n) pa(n) oh shoh-koh-lah
un croissant
uh(n) krwah-sah(n)
From the Living Language newsletter.
Tags: food, French, newsletter
November 26, 2007
