Curiosities about the UNESCO World Heritage List 1:55
(CNN) --
News fresh out of the oven: The
baguette
, the long, crusty loaf that's a delicious staple of French life, has been given special protection status, putting it on the culinary Olympus alongside other delicacies. regional cuisine from around the world.
The "artisanal know-how and culture of the
baguette
" have been officially recognized on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list, the organization announced Wednesday, inscribing the expertise of French bread as an essential part of human culture.
French bakers want UNESCO to designate the baguette a cultural treasure
UNESCO, the cultural body of the United Nations, defines Intangible Cultural Heritage as "living traditions or expressions inherited from our ancestors and transmitted to our descendants."
The
baguette
joins other food and culinary cultures on Unesco's Intangible Cultural Heritage list, such as Neapolitan pizza making,
kimchi
, Belgian beer culture, the Mediterranean diet, and Arabic coffee.
Although Unesco recognizes places in the United States such as the Statue of Liberty, Yellowstone National Park and Independence Hall in Philadelphia as World Heritage Sites, there is currently nothing from this country on the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list. the organization.
Tradition and craft production
The director general of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, told CNN that the protection status of the
baguette
pays tribute to "tradition", "artisanal production" and guarantees that the "artisanal way of baking" is "transmitted to the next generation".
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"It's kind of a way of life," Azoulay said.
"There's always a
boulangerie
nearby, you can go buy fresh and affordable bread and you meet people, you meet the bakers, it's a very important element of social cohesion."
Azoulay said it took France six years to gather all the necessary documentation before submitting its application to UNESCO.
Tereré, an ancestral drink from Paraguay is recognized by Unesco
"This will make people realize that this regular
baguette
that they know so well is precious," he said.
"It comes from history and it has character, and it's important for the public to be aware of it, to be proud of it."
Although
boulangeries
in France typically sell many types of
baguette
, the best are known as “
baguettes
de
tradition
” or simply
traditions
.
They are made with only four ingredients: flour, water, salt and yeast or ferment and must be baked
on site.
According to the Observatoire du Pain, a research group that monitors bread consumption habits and trends in France, the average rate of daily bread consumption among adults fell from 143 g/day in 2003 to 103 g /day, in 2016. The rise of supermarket chains selling bread has been attributed to the closure of hundreds of family bakeries.
BaguetteUNESCO