Crunchy on the outside but soft on the inside, the “birote” (also known as “bolillo”) is a delicious French-style baguette native to Guadalajara.
Together with the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI), birote manufacturers are to file a Denomination of Origin claim to protect the savory bread. Should they win the classification, the name birote could only be used for bread produced in Jalisco, just as only agave-based drinks made in this or certain other states can be legally called tequila.
Birote is produced almost exclusively in Guadalajara because the city’s climate and altitude give the bread a unique taste and texture that cannot be equalled in other parts of Mexico.
It is thought that birote’s origins date back to 1864, when a Belgian named Camille Pirrotte arrived in Guadalajara as a sergeant in the French army. Sent by Napoleon, the French briefly occupied parts of Mexico at this time.
In a bid to win over the hearts and minds of the Mexican people, the occupying troops were ordered to teach them French culture and customs. Pirrote was charged with teaching the locals to make French bread, but he soon realized that he could not find yeast anywhere in the city.
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