The New Orleans Beignet

Based in New Orleans, Disney film, The Princess and the Frog, highlights a Mardi Gras celebration with the starring role going to a tasty beignet (maybe not a starring role, but it does play a significant part of the overall plot!). Tiana labors long and hard to help her father realize his dream of opening a restaurant, selling her own beignets to earn her the much needed funds to get this venture underway. Although this movie is geared toward a younger audience, parents will also enjoy this uplifting tale featuring one of New Orleans' most famous treats - but what are beignets?

Beignet is French for 'bump', which does nothing to describe the actual food. A beignet is a sort of fritter, deep-fried and later doused in icing sugar. Fritters are nothing new to North American cuisine; we see apple fritters at every coffee shop and bakery from Miami to Vancouver. The coffee shop knock-offs are somewhat different from the French beignet originals.

To begin with, the French brought over beignets to New Orleans during the 18th century. Yeast pastries are at the root of fritters and they originate in England. Beignets are made from choux paste, a mixture of butter, water, flour and eggs. The volume of liquid to dry ingredients is higher because there is no rising agent. With more water in the recipe, steam is created during the frying process, causing the choux paste to quickly rise. Of course, the only way to eat a beignet is immediately after frying, fresh and hot and delicious!

New Orleans tradition dictates every meal be followed with a serving of sweet beignets covered in icing sugar (yum!). Café du Monde is arguably the most famous venue for the New Orleans beignet, served as a trio alongside a steaming café au lait. However, if one were to venture out to some of the more upper class restaurants in New Orleans, one could definitely find savoury versions of beignets on the menu. The Upper Savoy serves a potato beignet that has become extremely popular.

The New Orleans beignet is not a donut, a fritter, or even an éclair. The French attempts at colonialization of the New World are reflected in the beignet, an item that remains a symbol of their influence on New Orleans. It may be a simple food, but it gives a lot of people a lot of pleasure every single day, and sometimes that is all we need. Just a bit of pastry to put that spring back in our step.

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