The History of Palmiers

Palmiers are staple offerings in French bakeries, but their origins are surprisingly murky. They were likely invented in the 19th century, but it’s unclear exactly where. Some historians argue that they originated in Austria, but whatever the more modern origins of these pastries may be, we do know that palmiers have their roots in ancient Middle Eastern recipes for laminated dough. Because this type of dough is extremely labor intensive, bakers didn’t want to throw out the leftovers. It’s thought that European bakers in the 19th century invented palmiers as a way to make use of their leftover dough rather than discarding it. American pastry chefs soon followed suit — a similar recipe for “palm leaves” appears in Fannie Farmer's 1896 cookbook, The Boston Cooking School Cook Book. There are many more international versions of these pastries, hailing from Spain, Vienna, Germany, several Latin American countries, and more. Still, the name “palmiers,” which is French for “palm leaves,” means that these pastries are most closely associated with French patisseries. However, palmiers and their close cousins are popular all over the world today.