French baguette awarded UNESCO heritage status
Breaking news fresh out of the oven: Baguettes, the French food staple, are receiving the international acclaim they deserve.
The Washington Post repoorts that "the baguette has now earned special recognition by the United Nations as an integral part of humanity's cultural heritage."
UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, has added the "iconic, long bread loaf," including the culture and craftsmanship of baguette-making, to a "list that offers not just international recognition, but the option of applying for funding to preserve this 'intangible' heritage for future generations," the Post notes.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
According to CNN Travel, baguettes will now be among the UN's other honored delicacies, including the making of Neapolitan pizza, Belgian beer culture, Arabic coffee, and more.
"The baguette is very few ingredients — flour, water, salt, yeast — and yet each baguette is unique, and the essential ingredient every time is the baker's skill," said Dominique Anract, president of the National Confederation of French Bakery and Patisserie, per the Post.
France's renowned baking industry reportedly led a years-long campaign to add the baguette to the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list, and the French UNESCO delegation celebrated the announcement in fitting fashion:
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kelsee Majette has worked as a social media editor at The Week since 2022. In 2019, she got her start in local television as a digital producer and fill-in weather reporter at NTV News. Kelsee also co-produced a lifestyle talk show while working in Nebraska and later transitioned to 13News Now as a digital content producer.
-
Exploring ancient forests on three continentsThe Week Recommends Reconnecting with historic nature across the world
-
The rise of the spymaster: a ‘tectonic shift’ in Ukraine’s politicsIn the Spotlight President Zelenskyy’s new chief of staff, former head of military intelligence Kyrylo Budanov, is widely viewed as a potential successor
-
How oil tankers have been weaponisedThe Explainer The seizure of a Russian tanker in the Atlantic last week has drawn attention to the country’s clandestine shipping network
-
The rise of runcationsThe Week Recommends Lace up your running shoes and hit the trails on your next holiday
-
‘One Battle After Another’ wins Critics Choice honorsSpeed Read Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest film, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio, won best picture at the 31st Critics Choice Awards
-
Son arrested over killing of Rob and Michele ReinerSpeed Read Nick, the 32-year-old son of Hollywood director Rob Reiner, has been booked for the murder of his parents
-
A long weekend in FontainebleauThe Week Recommends Less than an hour from Paris, this historic town is perfect for a short break
-
Rob Reiner, wife dead in ‘apparent homicide’speed read The Reiners, found in their Los Angeles home, ‘had injuries consistent with being stabbed’
-
A scenic road trip in the French RivieraThe Week Recommends The mild climate of the Côte d’Azur makes it ideal for shoulder season
-
From Da Vinci to a golden toilet: a history of museum heistsIn the Spotlight Following the ‘spectacular’ events at the Louvre, museums are ‘increasingly being targeted by criminal gangs’
-
Cyrano de Bergerac: a ‘huge-hearted’ productionThe Week Recommends This ‘playful’ and ‘poignant’ rendition brings new life to the ‘gilet-sporting, verse-spouting’ titular soldier
