French Baguette Gets Officially Honored By UNESCO

The French baguette was recently added to UNESCO’s “intangible cultural heritage” list.

“It’s good news in a complicated environment. When a baby cuts his teeth, his parents give him a stump of baguette to chew off. When a child grows up, the first errand he runs on his own is to buy a baguette at the bakery,” says Dominique Anract, the president of the National Federation of French Bakeries and Patisseries.

Though the creation story differs depending on who you ask, one thing is certain: the baguette has been intertwined with French identity for centuries. The baguette joins UNESCO’s intangible cultural list alongside the traditional mansaf dish from Jordan, winter bear festivals in Pyrenean villages, and Kun Lbokator – a traditional martial art in Cambodia.