 Beignets fromCafé du Monde in New Orleans | |
| Type | Fritter |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | France |
| Main ingredients | Dough,powdered sugar |
| Variations | Rice, Yeast, Pâte à Choux |
Beignet (/ˈbɛnjeɪ/BEN-yay,alsoUS:/beɪnˈjeɪ,bɛnˈjeɪ/bayn-YAY, ben-YAY,[1][2][3][4]French:[bɛɲɛ];lit. 'bump') is a type of deep-friedpastry of French origin. It is commonly made frompâte à choux, but can also be made using rice flour (rice beignets) or yeast-leavened batters.[5][6] Beignets can be served in a variety of preparations, the most common being dusted with confectioner’s sugar.[6] The pastry is popular in French, Hungarian, Italian, and American cuisines.[5]
A traditional way beignets are prepared is using choux pastry dough. Otherwise known as the French-style beignet, this type of dough is typically made using butter, eggs, milk or water, sugar, flour, and salt.[5][7] Choux pastry is versatile and is prepared differently by culture.[5] The pâte à choux method is also the style of beignets that were introduced toNew Orleans by French immigrants in the 1700s.[6]
Variations often includebanana orplantain – popular fruits in the port city – or berries.[8][9] Other variations include savory fillings such as meat and cheese fillings.[5]
Beignets can also be made withyeast pastry,[10] which might be referred to asboules de Berlin in French, referring toBerliner doughnuts, which lack the typical doughnut hole in the center, filled with fruit or jam.
InCorsica, beignets made withchestnut flour (beignets de farine de châtaigne) are known asfritelli.
InCanadian French,doughnuts are referred to alternately asbeigne orbeignet.
In formerFrench colonial empire in West Africa, abeignet is a small ball of fried dough, inSenegal sometimes made withmillet flour rather than wheat, equivalent to aPuff-puff.[11]
Variations of fried dough can be found across cuisines internationally; however, the origin of the termbeignet is specifically French. They were brought to New Orleans in the 18th century by French colonists,[10] from "the old mother country",[12] as well as byAcadians,[13] and became a large part of home-style Creole cooking.
Deep-fried yeast dough has been part of culinary tradition since at least the Middle Ages. The Spanish refer to this type of creation as "buelos", which likely shares etymology with the Celtic word for deep-fried yeast dough, "bigne".[10]
Louisiana-style beignets are generally square or rectangular shaped, and are made from leavened dough rather than choux pastry. In New Orleans, they are often consumed as a breakfast item served with powdered sugar on top.[5] They are meant to be eaten immediately after frying and are served at several cafes in the New Orleans region.[6]
In theUnited States, beignets have been popular within New OrleansCreole cuisine and may also be served as a dessert.
It is one of only two official state donuts—the only other one being theBoston cream doughnut, the state donut of Massachusetts.[14][15]
Ingredients used to prepare beignets typically include:
Preparation varies by type. For yeast-leavened beignets, the ingredients are combined and a dough has formed, it is rolled out and then sliced into squares which are deep-fried for two to three minutes. The result is a puffy, golden brown pastry.[10]
For choux pastry beignets, the chilled dough is piped or scooped before being fried in hot oil.[16]
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