France’s iconic daily bread loaf – the baguette, is among the latest cultural practices and expressions recognized by the UN Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
On November 30th, it was inscribed on the UN’s list of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) and recognized the “artisanal know-how and culture of baguette bread” as a world cultural heritage.
Nineteen new elements have been added to the list of priceless national treasures. Some other elements were also included on a list of intangible cultural heritage needing urgent protection. These included Ukrainian borscht cookery, Chinese tea making, Korean mask dancing, and Ahlat stonework from Turkey.
🔴 BREAKING
New inscription on the #IntangibleHeritage List: Artisanal know-how and culture of baguette bread.
Bravo #France 🇫🇷!
ℹ️ https://t.co/n5nd2IfvLJ #LivingHeritage pic.twitter.com/MINHjuVffK
— UNESCO 🏛️ #Education #Sciences #Culture 🇺🇳 (@UNESCO) November 30, 2022
UNESCO chief Audrey Azoulay said: “The baguette is a daily ritual, a structural element of the meal, synonymous with sharing and conviviality.”
“It is important that these skills and social habits continue to exist in the future.”
Why is it intrinsic to our day-to-day existence?
Intangible Cultural Heritage means helping and promoting intercultural dialogue, fostering mutual respect, tolerance, and inclusion as it involves the participation of different social groups.
Its main points are not the cultural manifestations themselves but the amount of knowledge and skills that have been passed down for centuries to the next generation.
France’s most popular loaf
A baguette is a long, thin loaf made of flour, water, salt, and yeast and consumed as a staple in France.
Highlighting the steady decline in the number of bakeries across the country since 1970, France nominated the baguette as a candidate for consideration on the ICH list of UNESCO in March 2021.
What are the selection criteria?
According to the UNESCO report, the entity must
(1) “be recognized by communities, groups, and, in some cases, individuals as part of their cultural heritage”
(2) “be transmitted from generation to generation and be constantly recreated by communities and groups in response to their environment, their interaction with nature, and their history and”
(3) “provide them with a sense of identity and continuity, thus promoting respect for cultural diversity and human creativity.”