croûte

Croûte is a French noun meaning crust, the hard outer layer of a surface or body. The term is used across several domains, notably cuisine, geology, and medicine, to denote an outer covering formed by drying, browning, or geological processes.

Etymology: croûte comes from Old French crouste or croûte, ultimately from Latin crusta, crust, and is cognate with the English word crust.

In gastronomy, croûte denotes the browned, crisp outer layer of baked bread and pastries. It also refers to a pastry crust used to encase fillings, as in en croûte, where a dish is wrapped in pastry before baking. The crust contributes texture and flavor, and the rind of cheese is a related use of the term. The expression croute (or croûte) de sel appears in salt-crust cooking to seal and roast foods.

In geology, croûte terrestre refers to the outermost solid shell of a planetary body, including continental and oceanic crust. Continental crust is thicker and granitic; oceanic crust is thinner and primarily basaltic. The crust sits above the mantle and forms part of the lithosphere; tectonic activity continually reshapes it.

In medicine, croûte denotes a crust on skin or wounds formed by dried serum, blood, or exudate, typically during healing. Such crusts can protect underlying tissue but may signal infection if accompanied by other symptoms.

The term is widely used in French-language culinary literature and geological texts. It is often encountered in phrases describing food preparation (en croûte, salt crust) and in reference to Earth’s outer shell.