The French Baguette Has Received UNESCO Protection

In February 2021, France’s then-Minister of Culture, Roselyne Bachelot, had the unenviable task of determining which of three national symbols was best worthy of being added to loftily named UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list. Bachelot had to choose between Paris’ gray zinc rooftops, the Biou d’Arbois wine festival, and the humble but oh-so-French baguette bread.

“It would be a good thing to protect our baguettes, our know-how,” baker Jean-Yves Boullier told AFP at the time. “At least let them recognize the French baguette as a unique product that is typically French, and something other countries can’t make.”

Bachelot eventually submitted the baguette to French president Emmanuel Macron for his OK, which he enthusiastically gave. And after waiting for well over a year, UNESCO agreed with that assessment. The “Artisanal know-how and culture of baguette bread” has officially been added to its Cultural Heritage list.

“The traditional production process entails weighing and mixing the ingredients, kneading, fermentation, dividing, relaxing, manually shaping, second fermentation, marking the dough with shallow cuts (the baker’s signature) and baking,” UNESCO wrote. “Unlike other loaves, the baguette is made with only four ingredients (flour, water, salt and leaven and/or yeast) from which each baker obtains a unique product.”

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