What does the Italian pastry name cornetto mean?

The Italian pastry name cornetto means “little horn.”

The word refers to the pastry’s curved, horn-like shape. Cornetto is the Italian name for a sweet, crescent-shaped pastry related to the Austrian kipferl and the French croissant. In contemporary usage, especially outside Italy, cornetto and croissant are often treated as interchangeable, although their textures and recipes can differ.

A typical cornetto is made from dough containing ingredients such as flour, eggs, butter, water and sugar. Egg yolk brushed over the surface gives it a golden finish. Many are filled with pastry cream, apricot jam or chocolate cream, then dusted with powdered sugar or nuts.

The term is especially common in central and southern Italy. In northern Italy, a similar breakfast pastry is often called brioche, which can confuse visitors because “brioche” also names a distinct enriched bread. A cornetto with espresso or cappuccino is a classic Italian café breakfast.

The pastry’s history is linked to the spread of kipferl recipes through commercial connections between Vienna and Italy after 1683.