The baguette, a staple food in France, was added to the United Nations’ (UN) cultural heritage list on Wednesday.
UNESCO, the UN’s world heritage agency, has a list of about 600 traditions from more than 130 countries. Baguette bread is now included in that list.
Audrey Azoulay from UNESCO says that the baguette is a way of life for French people. The baguette is a symbol of friendliness and sharing. He says it’s important that the social habits related to the baguette continue in the future.
The baguette has become a symbol of France for many people around the world. It has been an important part of French food for more than 100 years.
In French, baguette means “wand” or “baton”. They usually cost around €1 in France.
The number of baguettes people eat has been declining over the last decades. However, around 16 million baguettes are made every day in France. That’s about 6 billion baguettes per year.
The ingredients are simple, only flour, water, salt, and yeast. Baguette dough has to be prepared 15 to 20 hours before baking. Although it is simple to prepare, every bakery has their own ‘style’.
The origins of the baguette are not clear. Some people say that they were first made for Napoleon Bonaparte’s military because the shape is easy to carry. Other people say that baguettes are originally from Austria.
VOCABULARY
- Staple food – a food that is eaten regularly/often; a food that is the main part of a country’s or region’s diet
- Heritage – history, traditions, and qualities that a country or society has had for many years; culture
- Agency – an organization, company, or department that provides a service; bureau
- Tradition – a belief, behavior, habit or activity passed down within a group or society; custom
- Include – to have something smaller as a part of it; to contain as part of a whole; incorporate
- Way of life – the habits, customs, and beliefs of a particular person or group of people; the typical pattern of behavior of a person or group
- Symbol – a thing that represents or stands for something else; metaphor; representation; something that stands for, represents, or suggests another thing
- Social – relating to activities in which you meet and spend time with other people
- Habit – a usual way of behaving; something that a person does often in a regular and repeated way; a thing that you do often and almost without thinking
- Related to – connected to; with regard to; associated with; about
- Wand – stick; rod; staff; bar; baton
- Baton – stick; rod; staff; bar; wand
- Decline – go down; decrease
- Decade – 10 years; a 10 year period
- Million – 1,000,000 – one-million
- Billion – 1,000,000,000 = one-billion
- Ingredient – one item or type of food used with other types of food to make a meal or dish (tomato and cheese are pizza ingredients)
- Dough – a thick mixture of flour, water and sometimes other ingredients that can be baked (pizza dough, bread dough)
- Bake – to cook in an oven
- Origin – the place where something begins; source
- Military – armed forces; army; agency or department of a government for combat/war
Original story from Reuters below:
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