After pulling an all-nighter before our first day in New Orleans, (having worked the night before our 6:00 a.m. flight) I was in need of some caffeine and sugar. Luckily, we knew just the place to go, and it was on our “must-do” list for the trip:
A New Orleans staple!
Cafe Du Monde, home of the famous beignets, has several locations throughout the city. The original one is in the French Quarter and is open 24/7! For all you non-French speakers like moi, “du monde” means “the world.” The original location opened in 1862… and still serves delicious cafe au lait (half coffee, half hot milk, all awesome) and beignets! (pronounced “ben-YAY”)
While the original location sounds more romantic, we stumbled upon the cafe in the Riverwalk Marketplace first.
It’s right next to this, which Papa Dish made me take a picture of:
"Look, it's a BAR in the middle of the mall!" Dad cries.
OK back to beignets. They’re square donuts and they’re deep fried and covered in powdered sugar. These fritters were originally brought to the U.S. by Acadian settlers from Nova Scotia, who brought many other French customs to Louisiana. The Acadians would eventually be known as Cajuns. So far, beignets are my favorite French custom.
Shake that bag to ensure maximum sugar coverage.
They’re served in bags of three, and are guaranteed to get sugar everywhere.
If you order an extra bag, they're still good several hours later after a Hurricane... so I've heard.
It could be the cousin of the oh-so-delectable funnel cake. The warm, chewy fried dough hit the spot for this weary traveler. The perfect way to dive into New Orleans cuisine. More to come!
