The history of Cafe Du Monde and beignets in New Orleans

Cafe Du Monde has been serving the New Orleans area since 1862. The Original Cafe Du Monde coffee stand is located in New Orleans French Market and is a traditional coffee shop. They are open 7 days a week, except Christmas and if there is a hurricane in the area.

Photo byFoodhuntersguide.com

According to Cafe Du Monde's website, the location of the French Market in New Orleans dates back to the Choctaw Indians, before the Europeans settled the New World. The Choctaw Indians used this natural Mississippi river levee location to trade their wares to the river traffic. The early European settlers came by boat to this location to sell produce and dairy products. The City of New Orleans was established on this location of the Mississippi River in 1718 by Jean Baptiste LeMoyne. This old New Orleans is called the “Vieux Carre” or French Quarter. The French Quarter has a collection of old buildings that exhibit the architectural styles of the countries that once held power in Louisiana. At one time or another, Louisiana has been under the influence of the French, Spanish and British governments. The first French Market building was put up by the Spanish in 1771. Sadly, this building was destroyed by a hurricane in 1812. The following year it was replaced by the building which now houses the Cafe Du Monde. Back then it was known as The Butcher’s Hall. In the 1930’s, the Works Progress Administration renovated and added to the French Market buildings. The French Market now comprises of seven buildings anchored at the Jackson Square end by the Cafe Du Monde and on the other end by the farmers and flea market sheds.

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Cafe Du Monde's menu consists of dark roasted coffee and chicory, beignets, milk and orange juice. Their coffee is served black or au lait. "Au Lait" means that it is mixed half and half with hot milk. The beignets are made fresh and generously covered with powdered sugar. The original Cafe Du Monde Coffee Stand is owned by the Fernandez family. Hubert Fernandez bought the Coffee Stand in May 1942 from Fred Koeniger. At that time, Mr. Fernandez owned the Fernandez Wine Cellar located in the ground floor of the Pontalba Apartments building across from Cafe Du Monde. In 1972, The Fernandez family closed the Wine Cellar in order to devote all their time and efforts to the Cafe Du Monde.

Beignets and Cafe Au LaitPhoto byPinterest

A beignet is dough that is rolled and cut into squares, then deep fried and served with powdered sugar. They are not stuffed or filled with anything, nor are they glazed. Many people who have never visited or lived in New Orleans confuse them with donuts but that often happens with our recipes. You can look up gumbo and jambalaya recipes to see the variations compared to what is unique New Orleans cuisine.

If you live outside of the area and would love to try anything from Cafe Du Monde, they do ship their coffee, beignets mix, gift baskets as well as other logo merchandise. You can check out all their items available for purchase at https://shop.cafedumonde.com/cafe-du-monde-shop/