More than six billion baguettes(法式长棍面包) are baked each year in France and the UN agency inscribed the tradition in its “intangible cultural heritage” list.
The baguette is long and thin bread made of flour, water, salt and yeast(酵母). But despite being a seemingly fixture in French life, the baguette only officially got its name in 1920, when a new law specified its minimum weight (80 grams) and maximum length (40 centimetres). Initially, the baguette was considered a luxury product. Then consumption became widespread, and the countryside was won over by baguettes in the 1960s and 70s.
▲ One popular tale is that Napoleon ordered bread to be made in thin sticks that could be more easily carried by soldiers(士兵). Another links baguettes to the construction of the underground railway system in Paris in the late 19th century, and the idea that baguettes were easier to tear up and share, avoiding arguments between the workers and the need for knives.
About 10 billion baguettes are consumed every year in France by a population of 67 million. It drew attention to the steady decline in the number of bakeries(面包店) in the country as around 20,000 of them have closed down since 1970. Then, there were 55,000 artisanal bakeries (one for every 790 residents) compared with 35,000 today (one for every 2,000), often in favour of baguettes produced industrially. The decline is due to the spread of industrial bakeries and out-of-town supermarkets in rural areas. Still, it remains an entirely common sight to see people with a couple of sticks under their arm, happily chewing off the warm end. In March 2021, France nominated the baguette as its candidate for consideration within the UNESCO ICH list.
“It is a recognition for the community of artisanal bakers and chefs who made baguettes,” said Dominique Anract, president of bakeries federation in a statement.
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