There is regular chatter in travel forums about the best
baguette/croissant/whatever in France/Paris/wherever.
This is often
prompted by "articles" in newspapers or travel blogs, and is invariably
clickbait - a title designed to show up in search engines to attract people to
a website so that their adverts get shown to more people. This blog post is
different - we don't receive any money from advertising, and I am making no
list of boulangeries.
A picture of baguettes, because it is obligatory
The best baguette is almost invariably the baguette in the boulangerie closest to you. And if you don't like that one, there is sure to be a different style of baguette, or another boulangerie close by. Susan and I can't agree on the best baguette to be found in one of our local boulangeries, and I am not a huge fan of any of the baguettes in the other. Remember - we live in a town of 1000 people, so our chocie is limited to 4, maybe 5, baguettes.
And that's before you add in how you like it baked. (For the record, I prefer an ordinary baguette, pas trop cuit)
In a city like Paris, with about 11,000 boulangeries, the choice is endless, and people who write about the "best" baguette have no more idea than the person reading the article in New York who has never been to France. The most recent "article" (I won't insult your intelligence by posting a link) even manages to list a boulangerie that by common censensus (i.e. someone who lives nearby) changed ownership and "went off" five years ago.
So relax, buy a baguette from somewhere close. I'll probably be better than you're used to at home.
And that's before you add in how you like it baked. (For the record, I prefer an ordinary baguette, pas trop cuit)
In a city like Paris, with about 11,000 boulangeries, the choice is endless, and people who write about the "best" baguette have no more idea than the person reading the article in New York who has never been to France. The most recent "article" (I won't insult your intelligence by posting a link) even manages to list a boulangerie that by common censensus (i.e. someone who lives nearby) changed ownership and "went off" five years ago.
So relax, buy a baguette from somewhere close. I'll probably be better than you're used to at home.
3 comments:
I'm with you Simon.
May the French passion for good fresh bread endure
I'm with you too, Simon. One day the baguette from one boulangerie seems better than the baguette from any other. And then the next day it's another boulangeries whose offering is better. Boulangeries are not like McDonald's, where you are never surprised by the extra goodness of what you are eating.
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