The traditional French baguette - Google Arts & Culture (2024)

The traditional French baguette is known in French as a Baguette de Tradition Française (Tradition, or, less formally, a Tradi). You tear off the crust to taste it, still warm, while leaving the boulangerie. The flavor differs from one boulangerie to the next, since there are as many varieties of baguette as there are artisan bakers

Origins of the traditional baguette

The Baguette de Tradition began life in 1993 as part of an initiative in the profession known as Pain de tradition française (traditional French bread), aimed at preserving the specificities of French bread-making techniques, threatened with the ever-growing use of additives. It allows the baker to show off their expertise.

What it's made from

Traditional baguettes are made with wheat flour with no additives, water, salt, and yeast or sourdough starter. They are the result of a perfectly managed fermentation process, and haven't undergone any flash freezing during preparation. It's characterized by its crunchy crust, and a cream-colored, flavorful, and airy crumb.

How its prepared

Careful selection of ingredients, with managed autolysis and a long fermentation period—the core tenets of bread-making—give the traditional baguette its distinctive flavor.

Its nutritional value

Every 3.5 ounces (100 g) of a traditional baguette has 1.8 ounces (53 g) of carbohydrates, 0.3 ounces (9.2 g) of protein, .014 ounces (0.4 g) of fat, and 0.12 ounces (3.3 g) of fiber. With a length of 19.7 inches (50 cm), a weight of 8.8 ounces (250 g), and a maximum salt content of 0.6 ounces (18 g) per kilo of flour, eating traditional baguettes can be recommended as part of a balanced diet.

Its moment of glory

In 2017, it was awarded the Prix du Rayonnement Gastronomique (Prize of Gastronomic Influence)! Eaten every day, it is the ambassador of the French dinner table. Its richness in taste and aroma makes it a food of choice that accompanies every meal.

Expertise and culture

Going to the boulangerie is a truly social activity that punctuates the lives of people across France. The baguette is also one of the most easily recognizable symbols of France abroad, and an emblem of French identity.

In the hunt for recognition

Going to the boulangerie is a truly social activity that punctuates the lives of people across France. The baguette is also one of the most easily recognizable symbols of France abroad, and an emblem of French identity. The baguette is also one of the most easily recognizable symbols of France abroad, and an emblem of French identity.