Saints RB "not impressed" with beignets
"In California, we just call them funnel cakes," running back Jamaal Williams said.
After sampling some New Orleans cuisine, new Saints running-back Jamaal Williams said he doesn't think one of our treasured food items is as unique as we might think it is.
"Yeah, I'm not impressed -- that's just a funnel cake," Williams said, when asked about his impression of beignets.
The audience started cracking up as Williams, who grew up in Southern California, humorously mispronounced Beignets, calling them "Ben-yet-ees" and "Ben-yacht-ees."
"I'm sorry, I just got here, I respect y'all, your Ben-yet-ees and all that," Williams said. "In California we just call them funnel cakes."
Williams also added that even though he didn't think the dessert was so special, he did enjoy it: "It's good though, if you like funnel cakes."
Funnel cake vs. beignets?
So is there a difference between funnel cakes and beignets?
Hailing from outside New Orleans myself, I can see where Williams is coming from. I also can see the passing resemblance to funnel cakes. The oily dough combined with powdered sugar -- yeah it's similar.
But the sheer amount of powdered sugar on the Beignets at local eateries, like Cafe du Monde, sets New Orleans apart in my opinion. I was covered from head to toe in powdered sugar after taking my first bite into these bad boys.
Neither the Jersey Shore nor the Los Angeles County Fair funnel cakes would stand a chance in a powder-off.
The texture of a good beignet is also juicier and the individual doughs balls are less splintered than the funnels of a funnel cake. A beignet looks more similar to a powdered donut than a funnel cake.
According to my colleague Devyn, who is from Pennsylvania, the funnel cakes were brought to the United States by Pennsylvania Dutch immigrants in the 19th century. But it seems to have become common fair at local fairs and carnivals (not the season) throughout the country.
Some people might also see some similarities between the beignet, funnel cakes, and frybread found in indigenous communities throughout the United States. Frybread is also deep-fried and can be served with powdered sugar.