Baguette etiquette
Anyone going on vacation to France should, of course, know how to eat a baguette. And especially how not to. Yes, baguette etiquette is definitely a thing. We’ve listed the do’s and don’ts for you.
Baguette etiquette
Oh, it’s all so simple. If you follow the unwritten French rules of baguette etiquette below, no one will (ever again) look at you funny, at the boulangerie or in the restaurant.
Do: ask the baker for half a baguette
We ask the baker for half a loaf of white bread; in France, they ask for a demi-baguette: half a baguette. And that’s just as normal.
Don’t: buy supermarket baguettes
A baguette from Carrefour is okay and probably a hundred times tastier than the supermarket baguette you buy here. But nothing beats a baguette from the boulangerie. You may not taste the difference, but in France, they definitely do. Supermarket baguettes come from the freezer, which makes them less fresh and softer.
Do: ask for more baguette
In France, it’s perfectly normal to ask for your basket to be refilled with bread. Completely free, too, if all goes well. Baguette is a serious part of the meal, after all. One important thing to know: in France, you eat baguette during the meal, not before it. So eating all the bread when only the drinks are on the table is not the idea.
Don’t: cut your baguette
We’ll keep it short: in France, breaking it is the way to go. Poking around in your baguette with a knife is not.
Do: use it to clean your plate
The French even have a special verb for cleaning your plate with a piece of baguette and then eating it. They call it saucer. Okay: according to ancient etiquette, it’s not allowed, but many French people do it anyway and won’t think it strange if you do it too.
Don’t: call every baguette a baguette
At the boulangerie, you’ll spot several different types. Besides the standard baguette, there’s also, for example, a ficelle (a very thin baguette), a pain (an extra-thick one), and a petit pain (a shorter one).
Do: put the baguette on the table
Yes, literally on the table. No napkin, no board. And a piece of baguette you’ve broken off doesn’t go on your plate, but next to it.
Do: enjoy!
And the biggest do of all: enjoy! Because, honestly… is there anything better than a freshly baked French baguette with a curl of French butter? Délicieux!
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