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FRENCH BAGUETTE GETS UNESCO HERITAGE STATUS

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Image source, Reuters
Image caption,
In 2019, an estimate suggested almost six billion baguettes are baked each year
By Flora Drury
BBC News


There are arguably few things more quintessentially French than the humble
baguette.

After all, the country is said to produce some 16 million a day.

And yet, the baguette has been in decline in recent years, as traditional
bakeries struggle against the rise of things like large supermarkets and the
increasing popularity of sourdough.

But now there's something to celebrate, as Unesco adds the baguette to its
"intangible cultural heritage" list.

The body announced it had added "artisanal know-how and culture of baguette
bread" to its list of 600 other items, joining things like traditional tea
making in China and a Korean mask dance known as "talchum" - both also included
for the first time in 2022.

Its inclusion "celebrates the French way of life", Unesco chief Audrey Asoulay
said, adding: "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."


'ENVIED AROUND THE WORLD'

The exact provenance of the baguette is not known: some suggest the bread was
ordered by Napoleon because it would be easier for soldiers to carry, while
others suggest it came along later - an easy bread for workers to tear and share
without the need of a knife in Paris. Others still credit an Austrian baker in
the 1830s for its shape.

However, the baguette as we know it today was only officially named just over
100 years ago, in 1920. It was then that strict rules about what classed as a
baguette were put in place - standardised at 80cm (30ins) and 250g (8oz). It
even had a fixed price until 1986.

By the middle of the 20th Century, the baguette had won over the country. But
since 1970, 400 artisanal bakeries have closed down each year, with the total
number across France dropping from 55,000 to 35,000 today, according to news
agency AFP.

And yet it remains key to French identity, with President Emmanuel Macron saying
the baguette was "envied around the world". Mr Macron - who has long fought to
get the baguette added to the list - noted after the announcement that the
baguette was "250 grams of magic and perfection in our daily lives".

Image source, Unesco
Image caption,
The French delegation celebrated the announcement by waving baguettes in the air

For the artisanal bakers who remain dedicated to the loaf, Wednesday's news also
came as a welcome recognition of the craft they had perfected.



"The baguette is flour, water, salt, yeast - and the know-how of the craftsman,"
Dominique Anract, president of the baker's federation, said in a press release.

Parisian baker Priscilla Hayertz acknowledged to AFP that it was "a basic
product" but one "that affects all socio-cultural categories, whether you're
rich, poor... it doesn't matter, everyone eats baguettes".


MORE ON THIS STORY

 * France seeks UN heritage status for the baguette
   
   26 March 2021
   
   

 * Ukraine declares victory in the war for borsch
   
   1 July
   
   

 * Wales' slate landscape wins World Heritage status
   
   28 July 2021
   
   

 * Pizza-twirling gets world heritage status
   
   7 December 2017
   
   


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