Kifli, kiflice, kifle or kipferl is a traditional yeast bread roll that is rolled and formed into a crescent before baking. It is a common type of bread roll throughout much of central Europe and nearby countries, where it is called by different names. It is thought to be the inspiration for the French croissant, which has a very similar shape but is made with a different type of dough. Names The roll or pastry is called: kifli in Hungarian kipfl in Austrian Italy Kipferl in Austrian German küpfel or a Meidlinger roll in Vienna kifla or кифла (pl. kifle or kiflice) in Croatian, Bosnian, and Serbian кифла or kifla in Bulgarian кифла in Macedonian kifle in Albanian giffel in Danish and Swedish rogal or rogalik (little horn) in Polish rohlík in Czech rožok in Slovak рогалик/rogalik in Russian рогалик/rohalyk in Ukrainian rogljiček or kifelc in Slovene cornuleț in Romanian horn (horn) in Norwegian Hörnchen (little horn) in German In Old High German, Kipfa meant "carriage stanchion" and referred to the stanchions or "horns" of a cart. In the 13th century, that usage referred to a bread shape of pagan origin. The Czech, Slovak, Polish, Slovenian, Ukrainian and Russian names derive as diminuitives from the Slavic word rogal or rohel ("horned") which in turn derives from "rog/roh" ("horn/protrusion"). Some other languages use a simple translation ("horn", "cornulet"). The similarity of the words "rohalyk" or "rohlík" with the English word „roll“ is coincidental, the words are not related by origin. The Slavic root "rog" can be hypothetically related with the German verb "ragen" ("to protrude"). Background Kifli are a traditional yeasted bread rolled into a crescent shape. The Austrian is a small wheat roll with pointed ends. The 17th-century Austrian monk Abraham a Sancta Clara described the roll as crescent shaped, writing "the moon in the first quarter shines like a kipfl", and noted there were kifli in various forms: "vil lange, kurze, krumpe und gerade kipfel" ("many long, short, crooked and straight kipfel"). Breads or pastries in the shape of a crescent moon are believed to have been served in ancient times as offerings to the goddess of the moon, Selene. The shape is also reminiscent of horns; both are associated with ancient symbolism and considered the oldest surviving pastry shape. A moon shaped pastry creates itself naturally by hand-rolling a ball of dough into a cylinder form. A list