What does pastry mean?
“Pastry” refers to dough-based baked foods and, when used as a count noun, to an individual item such as a croissant, Danish pastry, or fruit tart. The dough is commonly made with flour, water, and fat, with sweetness, filling, or glazing added according to the type of pastry. In general use, the word often suggests a baked good from a bakery, café, or pastry shop, and it carries pleasant associations with butter, crisp layers, sweetness, and skilled baking. It can also refer more broadly to pastry dough, as when a recipe instructs a cook to line a dish with pastry. The word is standard throughout the English-speaking world, although individual names and styles vary by region. “Pastry” is useful in both precise culinary descriptions and ordinary descriptions of baked goods.
A baked food made from dough, often sweetened, filled, glazed, or decorated.
"He ate a warm pastry with coffee while reading the newspaper."
The count noun “a pastry” normally refers to one individual baked item.
Dough made from flour and fat, used for enclosing or making baked foods.
"The chicken is served underneath a layer of golden pastry."
This mass-noun sense is especially common in culinary instructions.
Use “pastries” for multiple individual baked items.
"The café has a display of fresh pastries near the entrance."
The word “pastry” entered English from French in the late 16th century, linking today’s buttery breakfast treats to the professional craft of the medieval pastry cook.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of pastry
The word entered English in the late 16th century from French pastrie, meaning pastry or a pastry shop, and ultimately relates to the Latin word pasta, meaning dough or paste. The English form was originally associated with professional pastry cooks and their products, later developing into the broad modern sense for dough-based baked foods.
Related word forms
How pastry is actually used
“A pastry” is a common count noun for an individual baked item, while “pastry” can also function as a mass noun for the food or dough generally. The word is common in both British and American English.
Easily confused with pastry
A pastry is generally a baked product made from dough, while a pasty is especially a British savoury pie with a pastry casing filled with meat or vegetables.