Enjoying life the French way #5 - Le Sandwich Baguette

Do you envision a stereotype of a French person as typically wearing a marinière, beret, and holding a baguette when you think of them? Well, if the French baguette is considered a symbol of France and a unifying aspect of French culture, it is for a good reason: studies show that an adult in France consumes an entire baguette every day.  That is why Boulangeries, or French bakeries, ensure a constant supply of fresh baguettes for customers, with it being an unspoken rule that a baguette should be consumed within six hours of being baked to be considered acceptable by a French.

And one thing French people love to do with a fresh baguette is… Sandwiches!

A widely popular and tasteful dish

French people consume baguette sandwich quite often, typically during their workday lunch breaks, where they often purchase them freshly made from a boulangerie they frequently visit. The sandwiches are not only affordable, but also nutritious, healthy, with a wide range of options for fillings and toppings.

The secret to a delicious French sandwich lies in its simplicity and high-quality ingredients: unlike in other countries, French sandwiches are not a concoction of multiple complex ingredients. Instead, they rely on a conventional approach, usually consisting of one type of meat, one type of cheese, and one type of sauce.

For example, the most popular sandwich in France is the “Jambon-Beurre”, or ham and butter sandwich, which is of the utmost simplicity, yet extremely delicious! You’ll find that sandwich in every boulangeries, supermarkets or even at home. Every French simply love it.

High-quality ingredients, the key to a successful Baguette Sandwich

A crucial element in creating a traditional French sandwich is the utilization of butter, which is used instead of the mayonnaise found in sandwiches from other countries: butter adds flavor and helps to mate the bread with the added ingredients. 
French sandwiches also incorporate unique regional specialty ingredients such as Camembert or Brie cheese, cornichons, and quality Dijon mustard for example. These ingredients come from all over France and add dynamic flavors to the sandwich for a great variety of recipes.

A very important point, the bread used in French sandwiches is also of high quality. And French bakeries or boulangeries make amazing sandwiches because most of them fabricate the bread with their own oven and gears at the crack of dawn in the morning. Luckily for us, the Japanese mastered the art of baking bread themselves, making it pretty easy to find a good fresh baguette or bread in the country, reason why we at Les Terroirs enjoy this type of meal quite often here in Japan!

By using fresh butter, incorporating unique French ingredients and using excellent bread, it is really easy to prepare French sandwiches due to their simplicity and high-quality ingredients.
We hope that after reading this post, you too can enjoy preparing and eating them at home!

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