A small neighbourhood bakery in Paris is being overwhelmed with fans after winning the prestigious Grand Prix de la Baguette.
"This is a non-negotiable must-try," a fan enthused on Instagram. "The crunch is unreal!"
"I took part for the first time and won straight away," says Sithamparappillai Jegatheepan who owns the Fournil Didot bakery in the 14th arrondissement.
He submitted his Baguette Tradition to run alongside the 143 bakeries taking part in the competition.
A jury judged their loaves on criteria such as taste, smell, crust and texture.
The morning after he won, customers crowded into his small bakery to congratulate him and his beaming team. "This motivates me to become even better," he says.
Alongside prize money of €4,000 (RM18,460.40), the baker stands to gain enormous prestige and new customers, and in particular the privilege of supplying baguettes to the Élysée Palace, seat of the government, for a whole year.
Jegatheepan, who took over the bakery in 2022, was excited to meet President Emmanuel Macron.
Otherwise, he is busy making around 650 baguettes a day. They are baked in the oven at 270 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes.
A key to his recipe for success is letting his dough rest for at least 24 hours.
Before the jury crowned him the winner in March, the contestants' baguettes were lined up on two long tables in the historic building of the Paris Bakers' Guild, each one more delicious and crispy than the last.
As anywhere in France, it is clear that enjoyment and good craftsmanship are crucial when it comes to food and drink.
And bakers in particular know that fermentation time, the sourdough and the flour are crucial for a good baguette, says Saloua Ylian, who bakes around 300 to 500 baguettes a day at the Bonjour Paris bakery.
He was taking part in the competition for the first time and wanted to measure himself against his colleagues, he said of his motivation.
According to figures from the bakers' guild, there are 1,118 bakeries in Paris. And as the city administration has calculated, 93 per cent of the population can reach the nearest bakery within five minutes on foot.
Quality of Parisian baguettes is improving
"Customers have become more demanding, and the quality of baguettes in Paris is improving," says Vincent Joly, who has been participating in the competition for 20 years and is the owner of the Grenier à Pain bakery chain which has 25 branches.
Instead of simple baguettes, everyone now makes the higher-quality Baguette Tradition, but unfortunately the price of this better bread has not kept pace, he says.
The bread really should cost around €2 (RM9.23), but psychologically, people are just not willing to pay more than between €1.30 (RM6) and €1.50 (RM6.92) for a "Tradi," as customers and bakers call the better baguette when calling for one at the shop counter.
Like all good things, making a better loaf takes time. "Depending on the flour, the dough is prepared up to 24 hours before baking," he says.
When it comes to flour, numerous French mills vie to supply bakers with their high-quality products. One is the Foricher mill, for which Jordan Lardeux is bringing six baguettes to the contest, baked with its Label Rouge flour. He says the key to a good baguette is craftsmanship, flour and time.
Baguettes part of cultural heritage
Aside from identifying the best loaves, the contest seeks to highlight the baking trade, which involves getting up early, hard work and often low pay, Nicolas Bonnet-Oulaldj, Paris' deputy mayor for trade and crafts, underlined, before the contest began.
Baguettes are part of the intangible cultural heritage of Paris and France, after UNESCO recognized the importance of the French baguette.
Next, the jury of baking experts, journalists and residents selected by lottery judged the baguettes submitted, in a contest that gives the winner's bakery a significant economic boost.
"Tourists who come to Paris want to eat baguettes, to try them," says Pascal Barillon, president of the bakers' guild. Later, they talk about it at home and thus become ambassadors for French baguettes, he says.
The winner of the prestigious award can expect a four to fivefold increase in sales, he notes.
More broadly, the competition is important for the industry, as bakers gather and talk about their craft. Many of the participants greet each other with a handshake and chat on the pavement in front of the guild building after handing in their bread.
After all, even as prices rise and locals here, as many other places, are dismayed by their dwindling purchasing power, good food still counts for the people of France. – dpa
