Tuesday, January 16, 2018

Protecting the French baguette

I've heard many people in France bemoaning what often passes for a baguette in France these days.  We were fortunate in our little village of Carqueiranne to have four real traditional bakeries and now in Palm Springs of all places we can get a real baguette....can't wait to have one!

In 1972 on our first trip to Europe we had many meals consisting of a baguette,  a round of camembert,  a bottle of wine and some grapes ...all for the grand price of around  a dollar.

Good on Macron!


French President Emmanuel Macron supports a group of bakers in its bid to protect the baguette, according to BBC News.
Inclusion on UNESCO’s “Intangible Cultural Heritage” list would preserve the beloved baking tradition – its name, shape, ingredients and culinary practice.
“The baguette is envied in the whole world,” Macron said in an interview with Europe 1 radio. “We need to preserve its excellence and know-how. This is why it needs to be (classified) as heritage.”
Baguettes have become a symbol of French gustatory prowess around the world. However, the master bakers leading the proposal are alarmed by what passes for the lean loaf today.
“When I see the quality of bread in supermarkets, it is impossible not to get angry,” Dominique Anract, president of the National Confederation of French Patisseries and Bakeries (CNPBF), reportedly told food website Atabula.
“The bread is frozen, some of it comes from Romania or who knows where, nothing is carried out in accordance of the rules of the art.”
http://nationalpost.com/life/food/france-wants-to-protect-its-baguettes-as-a-cultural-treasure