Historical accounts of where the baguette comes from vary. However, it’s widely believed that it first appeared after the French Revolution, when a shortage of bread was a core issue leading people to violent uprisings through the streets of Paris. In response, a law decreed that both rich and poor would have access to one type of wheat bread – "The Bread of Equality".
Other stories contest this; one tale alleges that Napoleon Bonaparte requested bread loaves lose their traditional square shape in favour of a longer, slender mould, so that soldiers could more easily carry their bread into battle. Another story claims the baguette arose because of the Parisian metro, where workers carried knives to cut their breads until the metro’s management asked bakers for bread that could be torn by hand, thus removing the need for knives and the potential of violence. There’s also a more modern perspective based on a law that was passed in 1920 prohibiting bakers from working between 10pm and 4am – this meant there was simply not enough time for your average loaf to be baked, so a substitute (the baguette) was created. The baguette was first given its name in 1920, and broadly translates to "wand" or "baton".
