However, the story of Popelini, also called Popelin, only appears in the beginning of the 1890s in the writings of the French pastry chef Pierre Lacam [fr].

[13][14] The story is clearly fictional given that poupelins are attested long before the 16th century,[7] with the name Popelini being created from the word popelin and not the other way around; similarly, Pantarelli appears to be derived from pâte.

Like Yorkshire pudding or David Eyre's pancake, instead of a raising agent, it employs high moisture content to create steam during cooking to puff the pastry.

[15] This pastry is used to make choux (small puffs), as the name implies, but also profiteroles, croquembouches, éclairs, religieuses, French crullers, beignets, and gâteau St-Honoré.

It's used in savory recipes also like Parisian gnocchi, dumplings,[16] chouquettes (unfilled choux pastry paired with pearl sugar),[17] pommes dauphine and gougères.

In Spain and Latin America, churros are made of fried choux pastry, sugared and dipped in a thick hot chocolate for breakfast.

In Austrian cuisine, one variation of Marillenknödel, a sweet apricot dumpling[18] cooked in simmering water, uses choux pastry; in that case it does not puff, but remains relatively dense.