21 March is the International French Baguette Day, during which a baguette is usually enjoyed fresh out of the oven while still warm. Although the French baguette is loved all over the world, the French in particular cannot live without it. Journalist and writer Erika Umbrasaitė, who has been living in France for thirteen years, says that the cult of fresh bread in this country is so strong that it would be tantamount to a tragedy for the French to run out of it.

Usually twice a day – in the morning and in the evening. This is how often the French buy a fresh French baguette, without which they can hardly imagine a daily meal.

“Practically everything is eaten with a French baguette – cheeses, salads, even second dishes. When you come to the restaurant, water and fresh bread are always brought, after they eat it, they don’t hesitate to ask for more. It is not only used as a snack, but also stains the rest of the sauce on the plate, thus showing that it was delicious until the last bite. Although this behavior is not very in line with etiquette, it is nevertheless a permissible offense for the French, so it is often a common sight in fine and luxurious restaurants”, – says E. Umbrasaitė.

The most important rule is that the French baguette must be fresh. Yesterday’s bread is considered unfit to eat, except at worst to make a hot sandwich or a sweet bread pudding with milk and butter, known in French as “pain perdu”.

The Japanese can’t resist the garlic baguette either

The French baguette is also popular in Lithuania – especially with garlic butter filling

“The French baguette with garlic filling is one of our most popular products. The recipe for this product was inspired by a client’s Italian ciabatta with garlic butter filling – having installed a new production line for French baguettes, we thought it would be interesting to bake them with this filling. We were surprised at how popular this product has become”, – says Ramunė Puzinienė, head of new product development at “Mantinga”, the largest producer of bread, snacks and frozen products in the Baltic States.

According to her, the French baguette with garlic filling has gained recognition not only in Lithuania, but also in other countries: this product is successfully exported to Poland, Latvia, Finland, the USA, Sweden and even Japan. Last year alone, the export of French baguette grew by almost 33%, and the total export volume was almost 23 million pieces.

“Since we make French baguettes for quite different markets, their recipe is also slightly different. However, the essential ingredients remain the same: high-quality wheat flour, yeast, oil, salt and water,” says R. Puzinienė.

In the second and third places of “Mantinga” exported products are Italian ciabatta and a small French bun.

They walk a lot and do not snack

Looking at the French, the question inevitably arises – how is it possible to stay so thin while eating so much French baguette? E. Umbrasaitė answers that the secret of slimness lies in a few simple rules.

“First of all, the French follow the rhythm of the day very strictly: light breakfast in the morning, which is a must for them, then lunch at 12-13 p.m. and dinner at 8 p.m. They have a long lunch, lunch can take up to 1.5 hours. But the most important thing is that they don’t snack at all – snacks are only allowed for children and usually it’s a light afternoon snack, an apple or some other small snack around 4-5 pm”, – the writer shares.

Although the French are not very fond of sports, they tend to walk a lot. This, like French genetics, may be the secret to their slimness. The interviewer reveals that the French do not really like diets either – they are seen as depriving them of the joy of life: “If French women are more indulgent one day, the next day they will just make a salad day and go for a walk.”