The intangible allure of 'baguettiquette' SECTIONS Last Updated: Feb 24, 2021, 08:39 AM IST Share iStock Even if there is no immediate danger of the French abandoning their sacrosanct daily bread routine in favour of a bagel, pita, pretzel or a doughnut, there are concerns about how long baguettes will remain identifiably French — or even a bread — for the rest of the world. Last year, Il-Ftira, the ‘culinary art and culture of flattened sourdough bread’ from Malta, and the ‘knowledge, knowhow and practices pertaining to production and consumption of couscous’ from Algeria made it to the Unesco’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list. Given this precedent, it is just as well that France is making some moves to preserve that quintessential crusty symbol of its nationhood, the baguette, even if it has some competition from Parisian rooftop artisans and a wine festival in Arbois to become the country’s candidate for 2022’s nominees. After all, it is no ordinary bread and definitely has claims to ‘culinary art and culture’, not to mention ‘practices pertaining to production and consumption’ — baguettiquete, if you will.