French baguette wants a piece of heritage pie after pizza wins global honour

French President Emmanuel Macron has called for the baguette to be added to a list of world treasures accredited by UNESCO.

Macron made the call after similar rallies by bakers from across France.

The French president said that the popular bread was one that should be recognised by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and CulturalOrganisation).

It comes after the UN body recently confirmed that the art of pizza making from the Italian city of Naples was to be added to the world's leading cultural list.

Speaking to bakers at the Elysee presidential palace in Paris, Macron said: "The baguette is envied around the world. We must preserve its excellence and our expertise, and it is for this reason that it should be heritage-listed.

"The baguette is part of daily life in France and the bread has a special history. It's a morning, midday and evening tradition for the French.

"I know our bakers, they saw the Neapolitans succeed in getting their pizza classified under UNESCO world heritage, and they said why not the baguette -- and they're right!"

Other recent additions to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity include the Basel Carnival, Cuban Punto music and the Iranian horse riding game called Chogran.

Dominique Anract, the head of the national confederation of baking and pastry in France said that the baguette, which is made with flour, water, salt and yeast, should be given it's "rightful place" in world heritage.

The list, which is reviewed annually includes items "that testify to the diversity of the intangible heritage and raise awareness of its importance."