It is early September, 1683.  A large army led by the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Turks, Kara Mustafa, has broken through Austrian defenses along the border with Ottoman-occupied Hungary.  With the Austrian army scattering in retreat, Ottoman forces have marched to the walls of Vienna.  Remembering tales of Suleiman the Magnificent’s terrible siege of Vienna in 1529, not to mention more recent reports of the repression of their Hungarian neighbors, the terrified citizens of Vienna prepare for the worst.

For years, the Ottoman Empire has advanced almost unchecked.  A little more than 200 years ago, they conquered the ancient city of Constantinople, which for 1000 years had protected Christian Europe from invasion by Asian infidels.  Once Constantinople fell, the Turks advanced relentlessly, as Serbia, Albania, Croatia, Romania, and finally even Hungary succumbed to the Turkish onslaught.  Although the Ottoman juggernaut was halted late in the 16^th century, the European powers were far too weak to mount a counteroffensive.  For nearly a century, an uneasy stalemate has held, with Christian Europe and the Ottoman Empire each focusing on internal difficulties.  Now, however, the Ottomans are reasserting themselves, and like Attila during Roman times, they seem poised to wreck havoc all the way into German-speaking Central Europe.

The bravery of the Viennese citizenry should not be minimized.  With the demise of Byzantium, the Habsburg monarchy has become a bulwark against Islamic expansion into Central Europe.  Still, the Viennese are not starry-eyed optimists.  They realize their situation is bleak, and some are prepared to make the best of what they consider an inevitable occupation by hostile Turkish forces.  One group in particular has come up with a unique idea on how to win the favor of their Turkish overlords:  The famous Viennese pastry chefs know that in the year 1217 members of their guild prepared crescent shaped rolls for their Duke Leopold as he prepared to crusade against the Moors in Egypt. They have decided to do the same thing now, in honor of the Ottoman’s Crescent flag, and they will distribute the rolls to Turkish forces as they enter the city. The bakers hope this act of generosity and compliance might encourage leniency from their foreign overlords.

As it turns out, the Turkish army never breaches the city walls.  Polish and German reinforcements arrive on September 14 to break the siege, and the Ottomans retreat back into Hungary.  With an overabundance of crescent shaped rolls filling their storehouses, the chefs of Vienna hand them out to the jubilant crowds, not in fearful surrender, but in celebratory victory. 

There are several legends surrounding the origin of the crescent on the Turkish flag.  A crescent and star first appear on coins minted in Byzantium around 340 B.C., to honor the moon goddess Hecate after Byzantium defeated Phillip of Macedon’s army under the light of a crescent moon.  That symbol was later adopted by the Byzantine Greeks in Constantinople as the official emblem of their city, appearing on flags and coinage.  When the city fell to the Ottomans in 1453, Mehmet the Conqueror adopted a very similar emblem for his own empire.  Variations on the crescent flag, sometimes with and sometimes without the star, last throughout the Ottoman period.

Another theory recognizes the crescent moon and star had been sacred symbols used by Turcoman tribes in Central Asia dating back to pre-Islamic times.  A coin emblazoned with a crescent and a star has been found in Central Asia which dates back to the 6^th century.  Regardless of the origin of the emblem, the crescent adorned the banner under which the Ottomans laid siege to Vienna in 1683. 

The Viennese Kipfel, or crescent roll, or Croissant, is now a staple of our Western diet.  Ever since the Turks retreated from the gates of Vienna, crescent shaped breads have been a popular accompaniment for meals, particularly during holidays and special events.  This week, go to your favorite pastry shop and purchase a dozen light, flaky croissants.  Go to the grocery store and pick up some Pillsbury Crescent Rolls.  As you savor their rich, buttery flavor, remember Vienna in September, 1683.  The siege is broken.  The Turks are in retreat!