Show-Off Pastries

Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans are credited with inventing the earliest pastries, although they were very different from what we know today. The Romans made a paste from flour, water, and oil to encase meat while cooking and prevent moisture loss. The cooked paste was then discarded. It wasn’t until much later, when European cooks swapped the oil for butter, that the pastry was eaten.

There are four basic types of pastry: