A flippant expose of the country and people hosting this year’s Paris Olympics. Senior Correspondent Mike Osborne bites into a baguette to earn his crust.
Everywhere you look around Olympic precinct in Paris, the crowds and athletes appear to be enjoying the crusty, fresh taste of a French baguette. But the history of bread in France is somewhat complicated.
It was a primary cause of the French Revolution in the late 1700s, and the current President wanted it recognised by the United Nations as a Cultural Treasure.
It’s also part of almost every meal in France and there is a certain etiquette, or “breadiquette” as to how it is cooked and how you eat it.
So how did it become so important to the national identity, and why does it taste so good?
Back in the 18th century French peasants lived on bread which they either bought or earned, with some Les Misérables being paid in bread for their hard labour – thereby literally being the bread-winner, bringing home the dough or earning their crust.
Historians state that failed grain crops in 1788 and 1789 caused bread prices to rise, resulting in famine and economic turmoil.
The poor blamed the rich upper crusts and the royals, who naturellement didn’t care about their plight. France’s luxury-loving Queen Marie Antoinette famously declared “let them eat cake” when starving peasants demanded bread at the palace gates.
The angry masses then stormed the Bastille in July 1789, triggering the French Revolution.
Back then bread came in the shape of a ball, or boule in French, hence the name Boulangerie for a bread shop. But like everything in France, it’s not that simple.
Bread dough must consist of four basic ingredients: water, flour, yeast and salt. And a boulangerie must make and bake the dough on the premises. Otherwise it’s just a bakery.
So how did we go from the Boule to the Baguette?
Some claim it was due to the war mongering Napoleon who ordered bread be made into long and thin sticks to fit into the pockets of his soldiers’ uniforms.
But in reality a law was passed in 1920 that prevented bakers working before 4am, which meant it was impossible to make the big round boule in time for breakfast.
A longer, thinner loaf originating from Vienna in the 1850s allowed the maximum amount of dough to be baked in the time allowed while also producing the prerequisite crunchy crust. The French-style baguette quickly became a local favourite and eventually a world-wide hit.
French President Emmanuel Macron supported calls in 2018 for the baguette to be recognised by the United Nations as a “cultural treasure”. He claimed it “is the envy of the world”. UNESCO, the UN heritage agency, added the baguette to its “intangible cultural heritage” list in 2022
As to the rules for eating a baguette when dining, take note. Nibbling prior the arrival of the first dish is frowned upon; you must break it with your fingers and not cut it with a knife; often there is no butter but you’re welcome to use it to mop up your jus; and there is no separate plate, with the bread just sitting on the table.
France has among the highest density of bakeries in the world, and about six billion baguettes are sold nationally each year – that’s between 10-15 million a day.
They can’t be frozen or contain preservatives, which means baguettes go stale quickly. Hence the invention of French Toast, dipping stale bread in an egg and milk mix and frying it in a pan until brown. In France the dish is called “pain perdu” or lost bread, because otherwise the stale bread would be lost.
Apart from baguettes, other French bread types include the boule, the batard (a short baguette) and the ficelle (a long, thin loaf). If you don’t like white bread, many boulangeries also now sell wholemeal and sourdough breads and even a sweet bread called brioche.
And then of course there is the croissant. Another Viennese invention – the croissant or crescent was first baked to celebrate the Christian Austrian army’s defeat of the Muslim Ottomans in the 17th century.
An Austrian called August Zang opened a Viennese bakery in Paris in 1838 selling specialist pastries including the croissant. Over the next 60 years the croissant morphed with local bakers replacing the standard dough with buttery puff pastry. The recipe for the modern croissant was first published in Paris in 1906.
Now the French will line-up religiously at local boulangeries each morning for fresh croissants and baguettes. The longer the queue the better the bakery.
Is being a French baker a lucrative profession? Of course – success baguettes success.
NOTE – This is the latest in a weekly series of “Frivolous facts about France for Olympic bon vivants”. You can read other Frivolous Facts stories by clicking on these topics: Art, Architecture, Sportscars, Language, Wine, French Heroes, French Inventions, French Olympic History, Famous French Athletes, The French Pacific, Cafe Culture.
Michael Osborne has been a journalist for more than four decades including 35 years with the national news agency Australian Associated Press, rising from junior reporter to Editor.
He was AAP Editor for 11 years and served four years as Head of Sport and Racing. He was also posted to London and Beijing as AAP’s Bureau Chief and Foreign Correspondent.
He has worked at six Olympics and five Commonwealth Games, covered tennis grand slams, golf majors, international cricket, rugby world cups and numerous sporting world championships. He also co-ordinated and managed AAP’s teams and coverage at three Olympic Games in Athens 2004, Beijing 2008 and London 2012.
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