The French Baguette Just Received UNESCO World Heritage Protection

The bread was deemed one of France's three national symbols by the country's former Minister of Culture.

There's nothing better than a fresh baguette. They’re pretty much one of the most French things about France. For that reason the bread making style was submitted to the United Nations for approval as a national symbol that represents the European country. It was granted the designation this week, as NPR recently reported.

It was something of a journey to get here. In February of 2021, France's former Minister of Culture, Roselyne Bachelot, had to determine which of the country's three national symbols would be best fit for the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Cultural Heritage of Humanity list.

Bachelot had to choose between the gray zinc rooftops of Paris, the Biou d'Arbois wine festival, and of course, the baguette. Carbs ultimately won in the end, but then again, don't they always?

After making her decision Bachelot submitted the idea to French President Emmanuel Macron for his approval. Macron approved, adding in a tweet that the baguette represents "50 grams of magic and perfection in our daily lives. A French way of life."

Unlike other loaves, the baguette is made with only four ingredients: flour, water, salt and leaven and/or yeast. As a result, depending on how it's baked, each baker ends up with something unique.

"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.

Sounds like a lot of work for just four ingredients, but French bakers have spent years perfecting their craft. And now that the beloved bread has received proper recognition, it's sure to be celebrated for centuries to come.

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Jeremy Porr is a News Writer at Thrillist. Follow Jeremy on Instagram.