pastry:

Pastry is a dough prepared from flour, fat, and water (and sometimes eggs) that is rolled thin and layered to create a flaky or crisp texture when baked. The technique originated in ancient Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisines but was refined to its modern form in medieval Europe, particularly in France. The layering method—known as lamination—incorporates cold fat (typically butter) between thin sheets of dough, which creates steam during baking and produces the characteristic flaky structure. Common varieties include puff pastry (laminated hundreds of times for maximum flakiness), shortcrust pastry (a tender, crumbly texture from a higher fat-to-flour ratio), choux pastry (a paste-like dough that puffs dramatically when baked), and filo (phyllo), an extremely thin, delicate pastry popular in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisines.

Pastry serves as the foundation for both sweet and savory dishes across numerous cuisines. It is used for pie and tart shells, Danish pastries, croissants, mille-feuille, éclairs, and savory applications such as spanakopita, meat pies, and appetizers. The versatility of pastry doughs allows them to be formed into various shapes—rolled, folded, crimped, or piped—and filled with everything from fruits and cream to vegetables and seafood. Pastry is also used as a protective crust for pâtés and terrines en croûte, and as a wrapping for en papillote preparations. The specific dough type selected depends on the desired texture and flavor contribution, with laminated doughs preferred for items requiring flakiness and shortcrust favored for savory applications.