The baguette has been a French symbol for years and was even given Unesco heritage status in 2022. Another French symbol, France’s postal service La Poste, has decided to honour that tradition by releasing a stamp that not only pictures a baguette but also smells like one.
A stamp with a scratch-released smell is not something you come across very often. Yet, La Poste has designed an international stamp incorporating microcapsules that release the baguette scent. As far as aesthetic go, the print on the stamp was designed by Stephane Humbert-Basset.
Celebrating the baked good, La Poste wrote an ode to the baguette:
“Bearer of culture and customs, the baguette is deeply rooted in the daily practices of the French. She embodies a ritual, that of going to our local bakery, local businesses, anchored in the landscape, attracting twelve million consumers every day. The fact that six billion baguettes are made each year confirms its iconic status in French food heritage.
It is the promise of a delectable sensory experience. On view, it seduces with its golden crust and its texture. Fresh from the oven, its grilled scent whets the appetite. To the touch, it is a transition from the resistance of its crust to the lightness of its honeycomb crumb. The act of breaking it offers a delicious symphony due to its characteristic crunch. With each bite, its authentic taste is revealed. As a food for sharing, the baguette accompanies us from breakfast to dinner, taking pride of place at the heart of meals and remaining a constant invitation to conviviality.
It consists of basic ingredients such as flour, water, salt, yeast and/or sourdough. This apparent simplicity reveals a complexity of manufacturing: dosing and weighing of ingredients, kneading, fermentation, division, relaxation, shaping, priming, cooking scarification. So many meticulous steps mastered by the artisan baker whose unique know-how is passed down from generation to generation.”
The stamp has been printed in an edition of 600,000 copies. Each stamp costs 1.96 euros and can be used for a delivery within Europe (with a delivery time estimated at 4 to 5 days) and outside (delivery estimated at 7 days to several weeks).
