Tribal People Try Pastries

Every time the tribe has tasted pastries: 8 videos of first impressions from villagers in rural Punjab, Pakistan, usually International food they have never seen before.

Also covers: pastries, eclair, éclair, danish, baklava, cannoli, strudel, cinnamon roll, cinnamon rolls, churros, churro, beignet

What it is

Pastry from bakeries around the world: croissants, Danish pastries, éclairs, cinnamon rolls, baklava, churros, cannoli. Butter-laminated French pastry and syrup-soaked Middle Eastern pastry get very different receptions.

What to watch for

Croissants are flaky, buttery and, to a Punjabi palate, oddly unsweet for something that looks like a treat. Baklava, being nuts and syrup, is understood immediately. Cinnamon is the spice that surprises — it is a curry spice here, not a sweet one.

The village comparison

The bakery tradition in Pakistan is a British leftover — cream rolls, patties, plain cake rusk — so puff pastry is known. Laminated French dough is a step up in butter that people notice.

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