The hard, outer layer of bread, or a hardened outer surface on something like dirt or a pie.
From Latin 'crusta' meaning hard shell or rind. Related to words meaning hard, brittle, or crushed, referring to the firm exterior that forms when something dries out.
The Earth's crust, bread crust, and pie crust all use the same word—they're all hard protective layers, which shows how one word can describe natural and culinary things with the same property.
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