There are many historical anecdotes and folk tales attached to French bakery items, witness to their quality. An example is the interesting story of the French brioche: It is the "oldest" of the breads that contain sugar, and it has a long history. In the 18th century, its texture was more like bread, and it was baked in loaves only for special occasions. Legend has it that when Marie Antoinette made her "If there is no bread, let them eat cake" speech, she actually referred to brioche. During the 19th century, French bakers began improving upon it, adding generous quantities of butter and eggs, giving it that appealing soft, rich texture. Brioche dough is wonderfully unique – a dance-step linking bread and cake with a soft, delicate, scented texture with just a hint of sweetness. When baked properly, it attains a lustrous crust and taste that is hard to resist.

Although croissants are the flag-carriers of the French baking experience, their source was actually in Budapest. Towards the end of the 16th century, Hungarian bakers wanted to honor the Turkish conquerors with a new and special "something". The bakers copied the shape of the crescent from the Turkish flag and so developed the crescent into a model that subsequently became very important – for the French.

French bakers replaced the heavy dough with layers of flaky pastry smothered in softened butter and then skillfully rolled up. These were allowed to rise and then carefully baked. The result – a melt-in-the-mouth pastry that is just impossible to resist.

The French "pole", or to give it its proper title, baguette, is the third foundation stone of French baking culture. Slightly hard outside, but breaking the crispy crust reveals a lightly salted and airy texture that quickly melts in the mouth and leaves an unforgettable after-taste. The baguette legend tells of one of Napoleon Bonaparte's resounding failures, and in fact, the turning point in his conquering ambitions. Napoleon's army was accustomed to regular supplies of both food and arms, until they faced the bitter Russian winter of 1812.

The French troops were instructed to dress properly and carry extra clothing (which ultimately did not stop the piercing cold). The result was that they did not have a lot of extra space for food. The small pole – baguette – was the one item that the soldiers could push into their coats or trousers. For too many of them, it was too little, too late.