Would you agree?

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TRAVEL/DESTI...ies/index.html

They all sound very tasty, but in a city like Paris, with so many boulangeries, I don't rely too keenly on these types of lists. Often they're lists of the best merely according to the author's taste or knowledge.

I don't know a single Parisian who would make a point of buying bread in a different neighborhood from where they live. I have about 10 boulangeries within 200 meters of my apartment, and I know which one is best for bread and which one is best for pastry. However, for truly special occasions, some people will indeed go afar to buy special pastries from famous establishments.

Oh, and it is always good to know which boulangerie is open until 10 pm. Since there is so much competition around me, there are now about 4 places that stay open late.

I agree with Kerouac - why seek out the 'best' when your local one is where everyone else goes and how much better can a baguette taste than the ordinary ones - never had a fresh baguette that wasn't scrumptious.

However, the Paris Visitors and Convention Bureau says:

For Cutting-edge Pastries: "For anyone who loves pastry, a visit to the boutique of world-renown pastry chef Pierre Herme is an absolute must. Herme has reinvented French pastry for the 21st century, and his creations are as beautiful to look at as they are to eat. 185 rue de Vaugirard, 15th; 72 rue Bonaparte, 6th; www.pierreherme.com

Read somewhere that a lot of bakeries may be sourcing the same dough or something?

Maybe they were talking only about chains like Paul.

But the sense was that to be more efficient, they were getting it from some vendor rather than making anything from scratch.

It kind of sounded like the situation with gelato.

I think what you're referring to is the bread sold in market chains like Intermarché, LeClerc, Franxprix, etc. They used to bake bread on the premises, but no longer do.

Bakers sneer at other bakers who use what are known as "fluorescent tubes" -- uncooked pre-formed baguettes delivered from some factory. But actually, the name "boulangerie" is reserved for places that make their own bread. Any other place is just a "dépôt de pain".

I thought that only the <i>boulangerie <b>artisanale</b></i> made its own bread.

Le Pain Maison &amp; la D&eacute;nomination : « BOULANGERIE » :

La d&eacute;finition du « Pain Maison » correspond en tout point &agrave; la d&eacute;finition de la d&eacute;nomination « Boulangerie »
Ne peuvent utiliser l’appellation de &quot;boulanger&quot; et l’enseigne commerciale de &quot;boulangerie&quot; ou une d&eacute;nomination susceptible de porter &agrave; confusion, sur le lieu de vente du pain au consommateur final ou dans des publicit&eacute;s &agrave; l’exclusion des documents commerciaux &agrave; usage strictement professionnel, les professionnels qui n’assurent pas eux-m&ecirc;mes, &agrave; partir de mati&egrave;res premi&egrave;res choisies, le p&eacute;trissage de la p&acirc;te, sa fermentation et sa mise en forme ainsi que la cuisson du pain sur le lieu de vente au consommateur final ; les produits ne peuvent &agrave; aucun stade de la production ou de la vente &ecirc;tre surgel&eacute;s ou congel&eacute;s.
La constatation de toute infraction est passible des peines pr&eacute;vues &agrave; l’article L.213-1 et L.121-6. Loi du 25 mai 1998

So what is the meaning of the designation <i>artisanale</i>?

&quot;Artisanale&quot; is just a trick word to increase the price. It has no legal meaning in the baking profession.

It might have a legal meaning in the cheese or charcuterie industries, among others...

kerouac wrote: &quot;I have about 10 boulangeries within 200 meters of my apartment, and I know which one is best for bread and which one is best for pastry.&quot;

I would guess that many of your neighbours have different opinions, or many of those boulangeries would close down. Most French people I know have a strong preference for the product of a particular boulanger. It's generally taste rather than quality that determines the preference.

Absolutely. Most of the bakeries are operated by North Africans (since it is hard work that most French people don't want to do anymore), so a lot of the bread that it made is produced for the taste of the immigrant community (about 40% of my neighborhood). Quite a bit of oat bread as opposed to wheat bread.

Paul may be a chain, but I would be thrilled to have it in any North American city (o.k., New York has some good spots).

Clearly, the list is flawed: Our baker isn't on it.

Asking the question to a Parisian resident: does <i>artisanale</i> make a difference? I get the following answer:

<i>Cela d&eacute;pend de l'&eacute;thique du boulanger. En principe, artisanale voudra dire que le pain est fabriqu&eacute; dans la boulangerie elle-m&ecirc;me et non livr&eacute; &agrave; partir d'une boulangerie industrielle. Mais il serait sans doute assez difficile de faire condamner pour publicit&eacute; mensong&egrave;re un boulanger qui mentirait sur ce point. Il n'y a pas d'appellation &quot;artisanale&quot; contr&ocirc;l&eacute;e. Par contre &quot;artisan&quot; d&eacute;signe un statut professionnel sp&eacute;cifique.</i>

The answer implies that one should perhaps look for an <i><b>artisan</b> boulanger</i>

But according to the law, you have to be an artisan to be called a baker:

&quot;&agrave; partir de mati&egrave;res premi&egrave;res choisies, le p&eacute;trissage de la p&acirc;te, sa fermentation et sa mise en forme ainsi que la cuisson du pain sur le lieu de vente&quot;

So adding the word 'artisan' to 'boulanger' is redundant.

All I know is, I had a sandwich from a bakery in the Loire that was better than anything I could ever find in Paris.

I guess Atkins never took off in France.