Baguette Is The Best In France, Tunisian Immigrants Supply Bread For The Presidential Palace

JAKARTA - An immigrant has won a competition to make French bread, Baguette, making his bakery famous and gaining national pride.

More than a hundred contestants take part in the competition which is held every year to uncover the best boulanger out there.

The competition, known as the 'Grand Prix de la Baguette de Traditional Francaise de la Ville De Paris', was first organized in 1997 by then-Jacques Chirac to celebrate the baguette, a staple of the national cuisine and a symbol of France.

"You have to travel around the world to understand that good bread like ours doesn't exist. This isn't just chauvinism, it's real!" said Olivia Polski, deputy mayor of Paris, citing Euro News Oct. 3.

In addition to the prize money, the bread winner is also given the right to supply bread to the French Presidential Palace for one year.

The lucky winner in 2021 will be Makram Akrout, a Tunisian baker, who has lived in France for 19 years after first arriving as an undocumented immigrant.

"I'm proud, but it's no coincidence," Akrout said, referring to the fact that his father was also a baker.

Akrout, who owns the bakery 'Les Boulangers de Reuilly' in east Paris, was shocked and emotionally shaken after learning he had won the coveted prize.

The jury panel consisted of experts, retired bakers, bloggers, journalists, and a few lucky members of the general public.

On the morning of the competition, hundreds of bakers lined up to enter two of their best traditional baguettes into the competition. To be considered, a baguette must measure between 55 and 70 cm, weigh 250 to 300 grams and contain 18 grams of salt per kilogram of flour.

During the day, each judge takes a sample of 50 baguettes and scores them based on a number of criteria, such as taste, crumb color, smell and texture. The scores are then combined to produce the finalists for the day, from which the final winner is chosen.

Akrout, who made the top 10 in 2017 and 2018, remains determined to defend the title.

"I have to fulfill the task," he smiled, adding "with everyone who will come here to taste the best baguettes in Paris!"