Beignet

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Beignet
Image:Beignets de pommes de terre.jpg
Potato beignet from the Upper Savoy, France
Origin
Alternative name(s) Many (see text)
Place of origin France
Details
Type Pastry
Main ingredient(s) Dough, powdered sugar
Beignets from Café du Monde in New Orleans

Beignet (English pronunciation: /bɛnˈjeɪ/; French: [bɛɲɛ], literally bump),[1] synonymous with the English "fritter", is the French term for a pastry made from deep-fried choux pastry.[2] Beignets can also be made from other types of dough, including yeast dough.

Beignets are commonly known in [New Orleans] as a breakfast served with powdered sugar on top.[2] They are traditionally prepared right before consumption to be eaten fresh and hot. Variations of fried dough can be found across cuisines internationally; however, the origin of the term beignet is specifically French. In the United States, beignets have been popular within New Orleans Creole cuisine and are customarily served as a dessert or in some sweet variation. They were brought to New Orleans in the 18th century by French colonists,[3] from "the old mother country",[4] and became a large part of home-style Creole cooking, variations often including banana or plantain – popular fruits in the port city.[5][6] Today, Café du Monde is a popular New Orleans food destination specializing in beignets with powdered sugar, coffee with chicory, and café au lait.[7] Beignets were declared the official state doughnut of Louisiana in 1986.[8]

The tradition of deep-frying fruits for a side dish dates to the time of Ancient Rome, while the tradition of beignets in Europe is speculated to have originated with a heavy influence of Islamic culinary tradition.[9] The term beignet can be applied to two varieties, depending on the type of pastry. The French-style beignet in the United States, has the specific meaning of deep-fried choux pastry.[10] Beignets can also be made with yeast pastry,[3] which might be called boules de Berlin in French, referring to Berliner doughnuts which have a spherical shape (i.e. they do not have the typical doughnut hole) filled with fruit or jam.

In Corsica, beignets made with chestnut flour (Beignets de farine de châtaigne) are known as fritelli.

Preparation

Ingredients used to prepare beignets typically includes:

  • lukewarm water
  • granulated sugar
  • evaporated milk
  • bread flour
  • shortening
  • oil or lard, for deep-frying
  • confectioners' sugar

  • Beignets before frying

  • Piping choux pastry dough for beignets

See also

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Alan Davidson (1999) Oxford Companion to Food, Oxford University Press
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/BeignetsHistory.htm
  4. ↑ Schneider, Wendi. The Picayune's Creole Cook Book. New York: Random House, 1989. p385. Print.
  5. ↑ McKnight, Laura. "Beignets: More than Just a Doughnut." HoumaToday.com. 16 Nov. 2007. Web.
  6. ↑ Philadelphia Inquirer. "Of Interest to Women: Banana Served In Appetizing Forms." America's Historical Newspapers. 1 Jan. 1907.
  7. ↑ http://www.cafedumonde.com/history.html
  8. ↑ http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/Louisiana/donut_beignet.html
  9. ↑ http://www.rachellaudan.com/2009/07/beignets-and-luqam-thoughts-from-cathy-kaufman.html
  10. ↑ Oxford Companion to Food, Alan Davidson [Oxford University Press:Oxford] 1999 (p.70)

Further reading

External links

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