Baguette Etiquette and Sourdough Invasion

So this is me with my favorite French starch. And yes, people carry just purchased baguettes around like this on their way home—it’s not a stereotype. This baguette was purchased after I had prepared my dinner, poured my red wine and realized I had no baguette for my meal: horrors. So I raced out in the rain to my favorite late night boulangerie and procured my .85 Euro (1.29$) baguette.

So, if you look close, you’ll notice I ended up eating some on my walk back to the apartment. I’ve been thinking I’m gauche and piggish looking doing this, but our Parisian friend, Michel, informed me this is ok baguette etiquette. David Lebowitz in his blog further explained this tendency. Apparently, munching on the “quignon” (pronounced Keenyon), the crispy end of the baguette, is common. Good, because I can never wait until I get home to start munching.

So, how many calories are consumed by such munching? Of course, I measured this on my digital scale like any good nutrition nerd. I discovered I’d eaten a fourth of the baguette on my way home (remember I did walk to and from school, briskly, carrying a heavy knife set, and cooked 5 hours…). The entire loaf was 260 grams, and my 65 grams was about 160 calories. This is similar to two slices of typical sandwich bread, but oh so much better. By French law, baguettes have to be 250 grams, so my favorite boulangerie is on the up-and-up.

My favorite loaf is Baguette l’ancienne because it is levain or contains sourdough starter. Since I miss my husband’s fabulous fresh sourdough, this has to do; however, French sourdough is no yeast contestant for the tangy American version. I’ve been told this by Parisians who appreciate sourdough. However, our tangier version (think San Francisco or Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis—the lactic acid bacteria responsible for the sourdough flavor) is considered “trop acid” or too acidic for other Parisian palates. But L. Sanfranciscensis may be migrating to France. In a recent article of Food Microbiology, the microbiota of four industrial French sourdoughs were dominated by our American bacteria—oh no, another incursion into French culture.

http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2007/08/baguettes.html for more information on baguettes.