French Post Office (La Poste) has issued commemorative postage stamp to honour France's famous bread – baguette. The new stamp is not run-of-the-mill issue. Its surface is coated with tiny capsules that, once broken, release fragrance of freshly baked bread. The €1.96 stamp depicts baguette decorated with red, white, and blue ribbon. A shopkeeper in heart of Paris that sells the "scratch-and-sniff" stamp said it had "bakery smell". The stamp was launched on Thursday to celebrate the day of patron saint of bakers and pastry chefs. La Poste said it had initial print run of 594,000 copies. It also said French bakers bake more than six billion baguettes every year.
The baguette is very close to hearts of French people. France's President Emmanuel Macron once described it as being "250 grams of magic and perfection". La Poste wrote about French loaf on its website. It called the baguette, "the bread of our daily lives, symbol of our gastronomy, the jewel of our culture". It explained why the baguette was so popular. It said: "It is promise of delectable sensory experience. On view, it seduces with its golden crust….Fresh from the oven, its toasted scent whets the appetite." The baguette was given UNESCO heritage status in 2022. La Poste called bread, " ambassador of bakery craft". It said the baguette, "transcends borders to become international icon".
