How To Eat Baguette Like The French: 13 Best Tips

The delectable baguette will become part of your travel story while travelling in France. But how to eat baguette like the French? Who wouldn’t want to get the most pleasure out of this delicious emblem of French cultural heritage?

As French President Emmanuel Macron said, the French baguette is “250 grams of magic and perfection.” No wonder it was given UNESCO Heritage status on November 30, 2022.

Stand in line with Parisians in front of your local boulangerie and swoon at the enticing scents emanating from the open door. 

Enter and scan. Contemplate the pâtisseries, the quiche, the pains au chocolat, the croissants, and then rest your eyes on the baguettes standing on end. Leaning like sentinels against one another waiting to be chosen, popped under a French armpit or in a wicker bicycle basket and eventually land on a dining room table. 

In a French home, there are never too many baguettes. The French will visit their local boulangerie more than once a day for the freshest addition to their meal. Baguettes are stacked at the end of a table or tucked in a cupboard. Yesterday’s stale baguette is ready to be toasted. And today’s fresh baguette with its golden brown crust, is waiting to be dipped, perhaps into coffee or a savoury sauce. 

But how do the French eat baguette? After a few years of careful observations and asking questions, here are my best baguette tips. 

How To Eat Baguette Like The French: 13 Best Tips

1. How To Order A Baguette The French Way

Enter the Boulangerie: Say “Bonjour.” and ask for “Une baguette.”

If you like your baguette crispy on the outside ask for, “Une baguette bien cuite”

If you like your baguette on the softer side ask for, “Une baguette pas trop cuite.”

If you don’t need a whole baguette, order a half-baguette. Ask for, ” Une-demie baguette.”

Always say “Bonjour” when entering a boulangerie and “Au revoir” as you leave.

2. Is There Just One Kind Of Baguette?

In France, baguettes come in various types each with their own characteristics and flavours. Here are some common baguette types you will see in French bakeries:

• The Baguette de Tradition: This is the classic French baguette which must be made using traditional methods. In 1993 the Bread Decree was passed. This French law dictates that a baguette de tradition française can only contain four ingredients (wheat flour, water, salt, and yeast), must be baked on the premises, and cannot contain additives or preservatives. It cannot be frozen at any stage of production.
• The Baguette: this is the standard everyday baguette (delicious) which may not adhere to the traditional methods. The baguette is longer than the “tradition”
• Baguette de Campagne: This baguette is made with a mixture of wheat flour and sometimes rye or whole wheat flour. It has a thicker crust.
• A Ficelle: Is a long skinny baguette
• A Baguette aux Graines: is a baguette containing seeds such as poppy, sesame, or sunflower.

My favourite baguette is the “baguette de tradition,” a truly artisanal product, baked with skill and love on the premises of French boulangeries.

I always buy my “baguette de tradition” at a boulangerie. The day my local bakery is closed, I either don’t eat fresh bread (a personal bread strike) or walk to the next closest boulangerie. Baguettes are widely available at grocery stores but the texture, crunch, and flavour are always disappointing.

Pro Travel Tip: How to pronounce “tradition” – tra-di-syon.

3. How To Eat Baguette: The Crouton

Parisians really don’t eat in between meals and there never used to be anyone eating on the run in Paris. As a North American, this is a dire contrast to our daily customs.

But, there has always been one exception. The crunchy “croûton” or the sacred “quignon,” the end of the baguette poking out of its paper bag. The quignon just begs to be torn off and savoured on the way home.

How to eat baguette in Paris? Start with twisting off the croûton. Or biting it off!

Find a café across from a boulangerie and watch as the after-work crowd pops in to pick up fresh baguettes. How many elegant Parisians do you see nibbling the croûton?

4. Leave It On The Table

How to eat baguette in France? Leave it on the table! The French baguette has its very own side plate, also known as the table. Take your piece of French baguette and leave it on the table beside your dinner plate. People who are used to a bread plate will find it odd to leave a baguette slice on the table. In France, this is the custom, crumbs and all.

5. Will You Dip Your Baguette?

Yesterday’s baguette is toasted for breakfast and served with butter and jam. Or, if you are visiting the region known as La Sarthe, the morning tartine is spread with the regional speciality, rillettes.

The toasted baguette is the famous French “tartine.” Sounds simple. But there are a few French tricks to knowing how to eat baguette in the morning.

Will you dip the toasted baguette in your coffee as the French do?

Will you place the piece of baguette on the table and create a mountain of toasty crumbs?

What will you do with the empty bowl placed before you?

The bowl and its wide opening are not for oatmeal or dried cereal, as a North American might suppose at first glance. The bowl will be filled with coffee making it the perfect receptacle for dipping the “tartine.”

Don’t be discouraged if you are not given a bowl. A small espresso cup does not prevent the French from dipping their “tartine.”

And still no plate. Use the table as a plate.

And yes, the French spend quite a bit of time cleaning up baguette crumbs! 

6. How To Serve Baguette: Where’s The Knife?

At restaurants or a French dinner party, the baguette is sliced on the diagonal and placed in a bread basket.

In French homes, the baguette is placed directly on the table. No breadboard. No charming basket. And no bread knife. It’s passed by hand and pieces are torn from the baguette. Someone at the table may even offer to break a piece off for you.

I find the tradition of tearing the baguette by hand joyful. The act of holding it with two hands and ripping off a piece provides a sensory connection to the bread, the people around the table, and French cultural traditions.

When was the last time you picked up a loaf of bread and ripped it?

7. Where’s The Butter?

How to eat baguette the French way? Don’t look for butter to arrive at the table during lunch or dinner. Butter accompanies the French baguette in the morning but is not served at lunch or dinner time. Don’t wait for the butter to arrive on the table. It simply won’t. That crunchy fresh artisanal baguette is a delicious pleasure all on its own. 

8. Will you “Saucer?”

How to eat baguette the French way? Learn to “saucer.” The French love to “saucer” (so-say).

After finishing their dish, they tear off a small piece of baguette and wipe the plate several times. It’s the final goût (taste) of the delicious sauce that accompanies the meal. It’s a compliment to the chef. Every last drop of sauce or vinaigrette is savoured.

I look across the table at my French friend and explain, “We don’t really do that in Canada. In fact, it’s considered impolite.” 

“C’est triste,” is the response. “That’s sad.”

I mean when you think about it, why leave anything on the plate? Every last drop is delectable.

“Saucer” to your heart’s content in France.

At a dinner party? The most polite way to “saucer” with your French baguette is to use a fork. Poke a small piece of baguette with your fork and then soak up what’s left on the plate!

9. How To Eat Baguette: The Cheese Platter

When the cheese plate comes out after the main course, make your piece of baguette last. Rip off a small portion of baguette and top with a favourite French cheese. Savour. 

Don’t be surprised to see the butter appear. Often butter is added to the baguette along with the cheese. What pure gastronomic pleasure!

10. Baguette Sandwiches

The French LOVE their baguette sandwiches. Walk into any boulangerie and note the stacks of baguette sandwiches waiting for the lunch crowd. Will you try vegetarian with chèvre (goat cheese) and tomatoes or tuna? The most popular baguette sandwich is “jambon-beurre.” A simple baguette sandwich with a healthy dose of half-salted butter and bursting with Parisian ham. It’s a classic.

One of the best places to get a “jambon-beurre” is at Chez Aline in the 11th arrondissement.

11. The Goûter: The Best Way To Eat Baguette

How to eat baguette like the French? Make a classic French “goûter.” It might be the best way to eat baguette!

The goûter is the after-school snack. Take a piece of baguette, slice it open, add butter, and add four squares of good chocolate. WOW!

12. What To Eat With Baguette

The possibilities of what to eat with baguette are endless. It’s no wonder you often see the French with three or four baguettes tucked under an arm.

Here are a few suggestions:

• Cheese: A French baguette pairs perfectly with cheeses such as brie, Saint-Nectaire, comté, or a goat cheese hailing from Rocamadour.
• Charcuterie: Combine slies of baguette with cured meats like prosciutto, or chorizo for a classic charcuterie board.
• Sandwiches: The best way to eat baguette? Make a sandwich on fresh baguette! Mmmm!
• Dips and Spreads: A baguette is perfect for rillettes, hummous, and tapenade.
• Soups: How to eat baguette? Don’t be shy to dip it!
• Main Course: How to eat baguette like the French? A baguette accompanies every meal.
• The Goûter: Chocolate. Butter. Baguette. So good.

13. The French Baguette: Fun Facts

• The French Baguette made the UNESCO “Intangible Heritage List” on November 30, 2022.
• 12 million French people go to their bakery every day, according to Dominque Anract, the President of the National Confederation of French Bakery and Pastry.
• Baguette means “wand” or “baton.” Chopsticks are called baguettes! They fit the description perfectly. Long and skinny!
• The baguette has a minimum weight (80 grams) and maximum length (40 cm)
• In May 2024, French bakers set a new Guinness World Record when they made a 461-foot-long (140.5m) baguette. The last holder of the longest baguette was in Como, Italy in 2019. The French bakers shared the enormous baguette with the French public and homeless people.
• There are several theories about where and how the baguette originated in France. My favourite is that Napoleon Bonaparte ordered bakers to find a way for bread to be easily carried by soldiers. Thus a simple loaf of bread was changed from a traditional round shape to long, thin loaves that could be slipped into a soldier’s pant pockets.
• In small villages, don’t be surprised to see baguette vending machines (“distributeur du pain”) selling regular baguettes and baguettes de tradition. The baguettes in the machines are supplied by a nearby boulangerie.
• On May 16, 2024, the feast day of Saint Honoré, the patron saint of bakers, La Poste revealed a new stamp. It’s a scratch-and-sniff baguette stamp good for letters in France and internationally. Imagine sending a delightful whiff of baguette to your friends across the ocean!

Where To Find The Best Baguette In Paris

The Best Baguette in Paris Competition, “Grand Prix de la Baguette de Tradition Française de la Ville de Paris” is a yearly competition held in Paris to find the best baguette. The baguettes are judged on taste, look, airiness, texture, and the quality of the baking. How can one loaf of bread made from the same ingredients be better than another? Each baker obviously has their secrets!

The lucky winner of the Baguette Competition receives a cash prize and a grand honour. The competition winner supplies the President of France at the Elysées Palace with baguettes for one year.

The 2024 winner of the 31st “Grand Prix de la Baguette” is Boulangerie Utopie at 20 Rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud in the 11th arrondissement. Xavier Netry, who has been a baker for 25 years, beat out 172 other baguettes!

You might be familiar with the name of this Boulangerie as it is listed in my Best Pâtisseries article. Boulangerie Utopie is also on the same street as one of my favourite ice cream shops, Folderol. Plan an outing to this corner of Paris – taste the best baguette and then stroll over to savour outstanding ice cream and wine! Ouf – if that isn’t the life in Paris!

Recent winners of the Best Baguette Competition:

• 2023: Au Levain des Pyrénées , 44 rue des Pyrénées, in the 20th arrondissement
• 2022: Boulangerie Frédéric Comyn, 88 rue Cambronne, in the 15th arrondissement. He also owns Boulangerie Au 140 at 140 rue de Belleville in the 20th arrondissement.
• 2021: Les Boulangers de Reuilly, 54 Boulevard de Reuilly in the 12th arrondissement

I hope these “how to eat baguette” tips help you enjoy this quintessential symbol of France!

Bon appétit!

Until next time,

More Paris Travel Info…

Gastronomy in Paris:

If you are looking for food suggestions, read about where to find the most delectable pâtisseries in Paris. Have you tried all these classic pâtisseries, like the Paris Brest?

These spots will have you savouring the best croissants in Paris.

Here are some tips on eating oysters like the French and how to dive into a huge pot of steaming mussels without standing out like a tourist.

Looking for a great fromagerie in Paris? Here are my top choices for fromageries. Read up on French cheeses so you will have an idea of what you want to order. If putting together a cheese board, here are my suggestions.

There are also plenty of café suggestions for the Marais area in this post: Tips from a Local. Suggestions for restaurants in the Marais is a popular post along with the best places to eat in Canal Saint-Martin.

If you are in Paris and gluten-free, luckily it is much easier to satisfy the taste buds than it was years ago. Here is my go-to for gluten-free delights.

Looking for a top cocktail bar in Paris? Why not pop by the Hemingway Bar for a legendary cocktail and some literary inspiration?

DELICIOUS TIP: If you are in Paris in January, don’t miss out on this very traditional pâtisserie that only makes an appearance once a year. Find out more here.

Exploring Paris and Beyond:

PARIS: Travelling to Paris alone? This article on navigating Paris alone is full of tips and tricks for the solo traveller. And this guide on the Paris arrondissements will help you plan the best trip ever!

Author: Alison BrowneCreator and Founder of Dreamer at Heart Alison, a Francophile from a young age, is following a long-held dream and has been living in Paris since 2020. Her passion for uncovering Paris and discovering the regions of France has resulted in an expertise about France that she loves to share in her articles. Also a solo traveller, Alison shares her experiences of solo travel to many corners of the world. Alison helps over 65000 readers a month plan their trips.

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