French Bread Makers Seek UN Recognition of the Baguette
2021-02-27
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1The United Nations' cultural agency may consider the making of French bread, known as the baguette, for its list of "intangible treasures."
2Bakers in France asked the French government to propose the traditional bread for the honor from UNESCO.
3About 6 million baguettes are sold every day in France.
4The French minister of culture will make a recommendation to UNESCO in March.
5The baguette is competing against two other candidates for France's nomination.
6The candidates are the metal rooftops of buildings in Paris, made from zinc, and a wine festival in the country's Jura area.
7In 2020, UNESCO considered things such as a dance in Zambia, camel racing in the United Arab Emirates and pottery making in Serbia for its list of treasures.
8Bakers in France hope the baguette will be considered an official treasure because of its importance in French life.
9But, the bakers also are worried the baguette is becoming less important in France.
10They say it is being replaced by frozen bread that gets produced in factories and sold in supermarkets.
11They want to protect small, traditional bread makers.
12Many of the small bakeries had a difficult year in 2020 because of coronavirus restrictions.
13Since the 1950s, about 30,000 small bakeries closed in France as supermarkets became popular.
14Food and drink-making methods in other countries are already considered "treasures" by UNESCO.
15The organization recognizes the making of flat breads in Iran and Kazakhstan, Neapolitan pizza-making in Italy and beer making in Belgium.
16In 1993 the French government declared rules for bread to be considered a baguette: It must be made only from water, flour, yeast and salt.
17The declaration noted the time and temperature for the uncooked bread to rise.
18Mickael Reydellet owns eight bakeries in France.
19He said there is no single secret to making a good baguette.
20It requires patience, know-how and "good flour without additives."
21Bakers in France hope the label from UNESCO would prevent the French baguette from being taken over by impostors.
22Reydellet said the UNESCO honor would give support to the next generation of bakers.
23Dominique Anract is the president of the French bakers' organization.
24He said it is important for French people to protect the tradition of buying a baguette.
25"The first errand we ask of a child is to go buy a baguette from a bakery," he said.
26I'm Dan Friedell.
1The United Nations' cultural agency may consider the making of French bread, known as the baguette, for its list of "intangible treasures." 2Bakers in France asked the French government to propose the traditional bread for the honor from UNESCO. About 6 million baguettes are sold every day in France. 3The French minister of culture will make a recommendation to UNESCO in March. The baguette is competing against two other candidates for France's nomination. The candidates are the metal rooftops of buildings in Paris, made from zinc, and a wine festival in the country's Jura area. 4In 2020, UNESCO considered things such as a dance in Zambia, camel racing in the United Arab Emirates and pottery making in Serbia for its list of treasures. 5Bakers in France hope the baguette will be considered an official treasure because of its importance in French life. But, the bakers also are worried the baguette is becoming less important in France. They say it is being replaced by frozen bread that gets produced in factories and sold in supermarkets. 6They want to protect small, traditional bread makers. Many of the small bakeries had a difficult year in 2020 because of coronavirus restrictions. Since the 1950s, about 30,000 small bakeries closed in France as supermarkets became popular. 7Food and drink-making methods in other countries are already considered "treasures" by UNESCO. The organization recognizes the making of flat breads in Iran and Kazakhstan, Neapolitan pizza-making in Italy and beer making in Belgium. 8In 1993 the French government declared rules for bread to be considered a baguette: It must be made only from water, flour, yeast and salt. The declaration noted the time and temperature for the uncooked bread to rise. 9Mickael Reydellet owns eight bakeries in France. He said there is no single secret to making a good baguette. It requires patience, know-how and "good flour without additives." 10Bakers in France hope the label from UNESCO would prevent the French baguette from being taken over by impostors. Reydellet said the UNESCO honor would give support to the next generation of bakers. 11Dominique Anract is the president of the French bakers' organization. He said it is important for French people to protect the tradition of buying a baguette. 12"The first errand we ask of a child is to go buy a baguette from a bakery," he said. 13I'm Dan Friedell. 14The Reuters news agency wrote this story. Dan Friedell adapted it for Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. 15Is there an item in your country that should be considered by UNESCO? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section and visit our Facebook page. 16________________________________________________________________ 17Words in This Story 18intangible - adj. not made of physical substance : not able to be touched : not tangible 19pottery -n. objects such as bowls, plates and cups that are made from clay that is baked 20patience -n. the ability to wait without becoming upset or to lose interest 21additive - n. something (such as a chemical) that is added in small amounts to a substance to improve it in some way 22impostor - n. a person who deceives others by pretending to be someone else 23errand - n. a short trip that you take to do or get something