There were still three of them, but the baguette de pain was finally preferred, by France, to the zinc roofs of Paris and to a wine festival in Arbois to apply for inscription in the intangible cultural heritage of Unesco, announced the Ministry of Culture, Friday March 26. France had until March 31 to submit its case, but the final decision, which belongs to Unesco, will not be known before the fall of 2022.
“If this national candidacy were successful before Unesco, the inscription of this element will make it possible to raise awareness that a food practice which is part of everyday life, shared by the greatest number and goes without saying, constitutes a heritage to full part “, said the Minister of Culture, Roselyne Bachelot, in a press release.
The number of bakeries “in constant decline”
This ministry press release reminds us that the number of bakeries is “In constant decline, especially in rural communities”. “In 1970 there were 55,000 artisan bakeries, against 35,000 today, often for the benefit of the sale of industrially produced baguettes”, is it specified. The baguette, symbol of the daily life of the French, immortalized by films and advertisements, is an appellation that appeared at the beginning of the 20th century.e century in Paris.
The “Know-how and the culture of the baguette” were therefore preferred to the zinc roofs of Paris and the Biou d’Arbois, a feast of the Jura, of medieval and religious origin, which has been transformed into a republican feast. Nearly a hundred files around the world each year obtain the label of inclusion in the heritage of intangible property.
To compete for the prestigious label, the candidate must first be registered in the national inventory, as are hundreds of know-how and goods in France. During a second stage, it must be deemed suitable for presentation to Unesco, on the advisory opinion of the Ethnological and Intangible Heritage Committee (CPEI).