Moroccan Baker Ranks 4th in France’s Top Baguette Competition

The national competition for the best traditional French baguette took place on the forecourt of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris for three days, reports Actu.fr. In total, 20 candidates, from the thirteen regions of metropolitan France and also from the Overseas Departments and Regions, from Seine-Saint-Denis participated in this competition. The jury gave them six hours to make 40 traditional French baguettes "meeting the requirements of the September 1993 decree" on site and in front of the public.

"These baguettes must be made with the ingredients provided, without brand indication. The use of additives and improvers is prohibited. The baguettes must be 50 cm long (tolerance +5%) and weigh 250 g after baking (tolerance +5%). The salt content must not exceed 18 g per kg of flour," explained Pascal Barillon, president of the jury, to the participants.

At the end of the competition, a baker from the Marne region won first place. The fourth place went to the Moroccan Mohammed El Gharbi, a 26-year-old baker working at the P’tit Père bakery in Le Pré-Saint-Gervais (Seine-Saint-Denis). His father, a master baker in Morocco, passed on his know-how to him. Mohammed has been working in France for 7 years.