beignet
beignet Lexical Profile
beignet Game Scores & Validity
• noun
American A square-shaped pastry made from deep-fried choux or yeast dough, traditionally served hot and heavily dusted with powdered sugar, strongly associated with the Creole cuisine of New Orleans, Louisiana.
"While visiting the French Quarter, we stopped at a famous café to enjoy hot beignets and chicory coffee while listening to street musicians."
A French fritter consisting of an item such as fruit, vegetables, or meat that has been dipped in batter and deep-fried.
"For the dessert course, the chef prepared a delicate apple beignet served alongside a scoop of homemade vanilla bean ice cream."
Word Nuance & Usage
In the United States, a beignet almost exclusively refers to the square, powdered-sugar-dusted Creole pastry of New Orleans, whereas in France, the term can broadly refer to any battered and fried fritter, including those made with fruit or meat.
• Rhymes for beignet
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from French 'beignet', a diminutive of 'beigne' (fritter, bump). The term reflects the way the yeasted dough swells and puffs up into a bump-like shape when submerged in hot oil.