The round pastry, in the form of a wheel, was created in 1910 by Louis Durand, pâtissier of Maisons-Laffitte, at the request of Pierre Giffard, to commemorate the Paris–Brest–Paris bicycle race he had initiated in 1891. Its circular shape is representative of a wheel. It became popular with riders on the Paris–Brest–Paris cycle race, partly because of its energizing, high-calorie value and its intriguing name, and is now found in pâtisseries all over France.
What is Paris-Brest named after?
Paris-Brest is a round french pastry, usually prepared as a choux pastry with a cream filling. The pastry is shaped like a circle with a hole in the middle, meant to represent a bicycle wheel in honor of a famous bicycle race between the French cities of Paris and Brest.