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.

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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: