Its official, the world says ‘oui’ to France’s staple bread, the baguette.
The golden-brown, crusty exterior and soft crumb interior had made its way into the hearts of food connoisseurs across the globe and it has now landed a coveted spot on the United Nation’s cultural heritage list.
The Paris-based UN heritage body Unesco has just voted to include the ‘artisanal know-how and culture of baguette bread’ on its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage, which also includes 600 traditions from more than 130 countries, and it was unanimous.
The fluffy, elongated loaf of bread has been a symbol of France around the world and a central part of the nation’s diet for more than 100 years.
“This celebrates the French way of life,” said Unesco chief Audrey Azoulay. “The baguette is a daily ritual, a structuring element of the meal, synonymous with sharing and conviviality. It is important that these skills and social habits continue to exist in the future.”
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the French Republic to the Kingdom of Bahrain, Jérôme Cauchard, is thrilled to see that the bread is being officially recognised.
“The French baguette is an obvious symbol, still today, of the French nation and of the long-established traditional French art of cooking,” said the ambassador. “A few grams, a few centimetres but a wonderful know-how and expertise, universally appreciated, including in Bahrain.”
The baguette is made with flour, water, salt and yeast and the dough must rest 15 to 20 hours at a temperature between four and six degrees Celsius (39 to 43 degrees Fahrenheit), according to the French Bakers Confederation, which fights to protect its market from industrial bakeries.
Although baguette consumption has declined over the last decades, France still makes around 16 million of the loaves per day – that’s nearly six billion baguettes a year – according to a 2019 Fiducial estimate.
Myths abound over the origins of the baguette. One legend has it that the bakers of Napoleon Bonaparte came up with the elongated shape to make it easier for his troops to carry, while another posits that it was actually an Austrian baker named August Zang who invented it.
And, while the long, thin breads have been around in France for a century, they had not been referred to as baguettes until 1920 and, apparently, its name is derived from the Latin baculum which became baccheto (Italian) meaning staff. A short baguette is even referred to as a baton.
In neighbouring England, it’s simply called the French Stick.
There are actually three types of baguettes – the regular baguette, the baguette moulée and the baguette farinée. Though similar in taste, the key difference lies in the way they are baked.
A regular baguette is the typical golden-brown French bread people most often encounter. The baguette moulée, which translates to ‘the moulded bread’, is manufactured by industrial ovens. The farinée has its crust covered with flour before baking.
Either way you slice it, the bread brings joy to all bread lovers and remains close to a French national’s heart, such as the Ritz-Carlton Bahrain’s general manager Bernard de Villéle.
“La Baguette is more than a delicious crusty and fluffy piece of bread of 65cm to 80cm in length,” said Mr de Villéle. “It has become like the Eiffel Tower or Notre Dame – a symbol of France all around the world.”
According to LuLu Hypermarket’s regional bakery in-charge, Ajeesh K Mohanan, the popular store’s customers of all nationalities enjoy a slice of the good life.
“The baguette is a very affordable bread that is packed with goodness,” added Mr Mohanan. “Having a crust is a must, as its crispness unleashes even more aroma. One thing you may not have known about a regular baguette is that one should weigh approximately 250 grams when baked. It should also be sturdy when held up and have a chewy texture in its innards.
“What also makes it popular is its accessibility. It is easily available at most supermarkets and you don’t have to go to specialty bakeries to get them. At LuLu, we produce them fresh three-times-a-day.”
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