A Series on Beignet!!

INSTALLMENT 1:

I have been wanting to write an entry on these guys for a long time. Beignet being my absolute favorite street food, I wanted to get this post right. So I’ve been out in the streets “collecting data” if you will – i.e. basically just eating A LOT of beignet – in an attempt to really get at the heart of these deep-fried, delectable dough balls. And after the number of different types, flavors, textures, and ingredients I found, I decided there was only one way to do this subject justice.

So, without further ado, I present to you Neex Na Lool’s series on beignet. This extravaganza of everything doughy, fried, and rolled in sugar will be a collection of the ways I enjoy beignet on the streets of Dakar almost every single day.

Let me begin with just a brief introduction. According to Wikipedia, beignet is simply an umbrella term in French for everything that falls under the category of fried dough. With this rather ambiguous definition, it seems that Francophone peoples have liberally adapted the beignet the world over to suit the ingredients and tastes of that specific part of the world. For example, beignet in New Orleans are very different from Moroccan beignet or from the many varieties found in Senegal. But they do all share the component of dough deep-fried in a ton of oil. If interested about the history of beignet, check out this link from EHow.

For the first installment, I had to begin with the classic. When I first came to Senegal, I had no beignets in my life. Then I met a conveniently located beignet-maker who set up shop right in front of my host family’s house every night, except on Sundays. Her classic beignet and beignet banane changed my life. Fried right in front of you, the classic beignet are about the diameter of a quarter, not too sweet on their own, and a mere 10CFA each (about 2 cents) – a dangerously cheap price for the consumer, let me tell you. Then she puts your order in a pouch of newspaper, liberally spoons sugar over the top, and shakes it all up. Absolute perfection.

My original beignet lady has since stopped working her corner, however, a relative has since then taken her place. The whole neighborhood knows her and her hours – starting from about 5pm until 10pm six nights a week. Here she is pictured with her stand below. 

Beignet and accra, a sort of savory beignet, are kept in the box on the far left
Beignet banane in the central box
and pre-packaged beignet closest to the camera
In the far corner by the van you can catch a glimpse of the just-fried beignet kept in the
iron steamer they were fried in

And here’s some classic beignet in all their glory.