Best baguette championship in Paris. The race between French bread bakers

The baguette championship and the origins of French bread

Many bread types entered the race and 176 professionals competed for the title. The prize is the official supply of baguettes for the Elysée Palace for a year. The Grand Prix de la baguette de Tradition Française de la Ville de Paris, like every autumn, is a contest conceived in 1997 by the then President Jacques Chirac to celebrate the art of French bread baking, enhancing the country's symbol par excellence: the baguette. Crunchy crust and fluffy crumb: these are the main features of a good baguette, format born – in a somewhat different way – in 19th-century Vienna, when the first steam ovens were used favouring the formation of the golden and fragrant outside crust. Originally, Viennois bread was mostly consumed by the noble class, but soon became the bread of workers and the people. The current form arrived in the 1920s thanks to a law prohibiting bread bakers to work before four in the morning. Thus not being able to prepare the classic round loaves, artisans opted for loaves, increasingly stretching the shape more and more so as to reduce baking times.

The championship prize

"You have to travel around the world to understand that a fine loaf of bread like ours does not exist. It is not chauvinism, it's the reality," said Olivia Polski, Paris deputy for trade and craftsmanship. Winning the 2021 edition award was Makram Akrout, who only a year ago opened his boulangerie and commented: "I can't believe it! It's a great surprise because the competition is high and it's not easy to stand out." Of the 176 baguette presented, 122 ended up under the eye and attentive palate of the jury chaired by Polski and composed, among others, from Tajeb Salah, winner of the 2020 championship title, Franck Thomasse, President of the Syndicat des Boulangers du Grand Paris, and Guillaume Gomez, former Chef of the Elysée Palace.

The jury and the winner

Appearance, cooking, crumb, aroma, taste. These were the evaluation criteria also examined by four Parisian citizens who participated in the jury. The award was delivered last October 2nd during a great fanfare ceremony before Notre-Dame Cathedral, by Mayor Anne Hidalgo herself. Of Tunisian origins, Makram Akrout runs the boulangerie at number 54 of Boulevard de Reuilly, in the XII Arrondissement, and has lived in France since he was 23 years old, always passionate about bread and flour. A few days after his victory, the baker was at the centre of a law enforcement investigation for racist messages against the French published on his Facebook page. A news that has aroused scandal and which has been published by the main French newspapers, but on which clarity has not yet been made (the winner claims to have been hacked, but the investigation is open). Beyond the controversy, the championship remains a flagship of the French tradition, which celebrates national bread art and allows the most talented artisans to provide Elysée Palace a year's supply of bread, as well as winning a cash award.

by Michela Becchi