The end of a baguette is called a croûton in the north, and a cul in the north-east.
In the south, it is a quignon, except when it is a croustet (near the Pyrenees), a crougnon (in the centre) or a crotchon (parts of the Alps). Got that?
Banettes appeared in 1981, when independent boulangeries adopted the name to distinguish their bread from cheaper, mass-baked baguettes sold by supermarkets.
Banettes are handmade from higher quality flour and have pointy ends.
Photo: A banette is often thought of as more authentic French bread; Credit: Bernardo Emanuelle / Shutterstock
The name comes from the Occitan word baneta meaning ‘little horn’.
Eating in the street has traditionally been frowned upon in France, with the honourable exception of munching the quignon, croûton, cul, croustet, crougnon or crotchon on the way home from the boulangerie, which is regarded not just as an accepted pleasure of life, but a positive declaration of Frenchness.
