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French bread has found its way onto the UN culture agency's intangible heritage list. The honor is a crumb of comfort for France's traditional bakers, for whom cheaper competition is on the rise, DW reports.

Experts meeting in Morocco on Wednesday said they had added France's baguette culture to the UN culture agency's intangible heritage list.

The recognition comes after France's culture ministry warned of a "continuous decline" in the number of traditional French bakeries that make the crunchy sticks.

Experts explained that the place on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage went to the tradition and lifestyle that surrounds the baguette.

"Baguettes require specific knowledge and techniques..." said UNESCO in an online statement. "They also generate modes of consumption and social practices that differentiate them from other types of bread."

"Their crisp crust and chewy texture result in a specific sensory experience," the statement added.

The crusty flute — with a fluffy, moist interior and made only of flour, water, salt, and yeast — remains a quintessential part of French life.

More than six billion are baked every year, according to the National Federation of French Bakeries.

The baguette — meaning wand or baton — gained true popularity in the 1920s, although its origins go back to the 17th century.

French President Emmanuel Macron called for the baguette and its traditions to be awarded intangible heritage status in 2018.