PARIS — Most mornings, at 6:30 a.m., Tharshan Selvarajah arrives at the Elysée Palace, home of the French Presidency, and places about 30 baguettes into the security scanner.
The bread that is synonymous with France is sacred, but not to the extent that it can pass unchecked into the mouth of President Emmanuel Macron.
The baguette, in its highest form, is not the exclusive domain of French bakers either. Selvarajah is a Sri Lankan immigrant who has lived in France for 17 years, but has not applied for French citizenship, even as his bread has reached the pinnacle of Gallic gustatory acclaim.
This year France celebrated the 30th anniversary of the “Grand Prix of the Traditional French Baguette”, organized by the Paris City Council. Selvarajah, 37, won, with his creation beating out 126 other baguettes.
Your prize? The honor, over the next year, of delivering those baguettes to Macron and his staff. He also received about $4,250. The baker’s popularity is now such that long lines form outside his bakery, Au Levain des Pyrénées, on the eastern outskirts of Paris.
One Saturday morning, Selvarajah explained what made his bread special. He raised his hands. “God gave us all different hands,” he said. A smile appeared on his face. “My mother’s chicken curry and my wife’s chicken curry may use the same chicken, but they don’t taste the same,” he said. “God gave me the hands to make the best baguette in France! “I never get angry with the flour while kneading.”
A traditional baguette is made with flour, water, salt and yeast. It sounds simple. However, the perfect baguette is elusive. A crisp, golden crust should encase a fluffy, slightly salty interior, dotted with air sacs, known as alveoli, that produce a slightly chewy consistency. Appearance, flavor, texture and smell must find a delicate harmony.
Selvarajah works six days a week, up to 10 hours a day, and believes that dedication — typical of immigrants trying to get a foothold in a new land — may explain why several of the recent baguette prize winners have been of Tunisian or Senegalese.
The contest itself is anonymous. “The baguettes are numbered after being deposited by the candidates and then a jury of experts touch, smell and taste them,” said Olivia Polski, a City Hall official.
Baking is “a tough profession,” said Charlotte Quemy, a tech worker, as she ate a croissant outside the bakery. “The French opinion is: To hell with getting up at 3:00 a.m.”
Selvarajah arrived in France in 2006 and began working in an Italian restaurant making salads and desserts. Through a client, Xavier Maulavé, owner of a bakery, he was offered a job making bread. “I didn’t know anything about baguettes,” Selvarajah said.
Little by little, he learned the art and became a head baker in 2012. In 2021 he bought one of Maulavé’s stores. “And now, the President of France eats a Sri Lankan baker’s baguette every morning!” he said proudly.
His Sri Lankan wife has become a French citizen and his two children are also French. Will it do the same? “Maybe one day, but right now I don’t have time,” she said. Your 10-year residence permit is sufficient.
However, he has not been invited to meet Macron, who took a selfie with other winners. He feels that he has received less attention from the French media than others.
He attributes this to the fact that he is not from France or a country with a colonial link. He also believes that his decision not to become a citizen breeds resentment. “It’s not nice, but I don’t give a damn,” he said.
He thought for a moment. “I am considering expanding the franchise in Dubai and Sri Lanka, promoting French baguettes made by a Sri Lankan. “There are great possibilities.”
By: Roger Cohen
BBC-NEWS-SRC: http://www.nytsyn.com/subscribed/stories/6973957, IMPORTING DATE: 2023-11-07 19:00:07
#baguette #France #prepared #immigrant #enjoyed #Emmanuel #Macron