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The winner of the 2010 prize for the best Parisian baguette!

Finding a baguette in Paris might not be hard, but finding a good baguette in Paris isn’t always as simple as it sounds. So, each year, the Paris council organises a contest to find the best baguette in the city. Did you know that they have to measure between 50 and 70 cm, weigh between 240 and 340 grams, use only the ingredients stipulated by law, and that the winner becomes the official purveyor of bread to our beloved President for the year? Well now you do.

So who won this year? We tell you, and even show you on Google Maps so you can go down there and get yourself some serious baguette action!

Photo by Paris by Mouth (twitter.com/parisbymouth) used under cc licence

163 boulangeries entered their crusty wonderfulness for this year’s contest – not a huge number considering how many nakeries we have here. A jury of officials, bear experts, journalists and five members of the public chosen via internet sat down four four hours (FOUR HOURS!) to judge each baguette to see if they were correctly cooked, how they tasted (kinda important), how soft and lovely the interior was,  how they smelt and how they looked (looks have always been important in Paris).

Speak French? You can watch this incredibly exciting film about the judging process. Non-French speakers are spared this thrilling part…

Anyway, the winner is… Djibril Bodian from the Grenier à Pain Abbesses, 38 rue des Abbesses (here). They’re open every day apart from Sundays apparently. It’s a bit far from the Rive Gauche, we’ll admit, but it does happen to be in Montmartre just next to Sacré Cœur, so maybe some of you could pop in after sightseeing!

Photo by Paris by Mouth (twitter.com/parisbymouth) used under cc licence

And of course this is where I have to tell you that from 10th-17th May it’s la Fête du Pain (the bread festival) in Paris. Yes, we have a festival for bread. The offocial site doesn’t really say what will be going on, but expect lots of bread, some sandwiches, quite a bit of crust, that sort of thing… Hopefully there will be more precise information in due time.