# Beignet is the name for fried choux paste. Period. Also crullers. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 27, 2014, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beignet-is-the-name-for-fried-choux-paste-period-also-crullers/691748 "2014-06-27T02:17:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2014, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beignet-is-the-name-for-fried-choux-paste-period-also-crullers/691748/101 "2014-06-29T22:05:03Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > One more word down the drain… Words change, **Stoid**. And I’m glad they do because it reveals that human beings are adaptable and don’t get hung up on technicalities, like robots do. If it actually mattered to people that there is a real difference between the two styles beignets, restauranteurs would bother distinguishing them. The language is at the will of the people, not the isolated pedant. As it should be. Nothing is stopping you from asking for specifics before you make your order. When I order BBQ here in Virginia, I always ask if the sauce is tomato-based or if it’s vinegar, because I consider one an abomination. Especially if cole slaw is involved. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2014, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beignet-is-the-name-for-fried-choux-paste-period-also-crullers/691748/102 "2014-06-29T22:54:17Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > One more word down the drain… Again: if you’re incapable of using the word effectively, but everyone else on the planet is using the word in a manner that works for them, this speaks not to a problem with the word, but to a peculiar incompetence on your part. It’s time to stop blaming the rest of the world for your own shortcomings, and to figure out how to achieve the results you want. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2014, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beignet-is-the-name-for-fried-choux-paste-period-also-crullers/691748/103 "2014-06-30T00:50:25Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Again: if you’re incapable of using the word effectively, but everyone else on the planet is using the word in a manner that works for them, You’re asserting that everyone on the planet says beignet and everyone they say it to knows they mean one kind or the other, and I am the only person who ordered one but received the other? I don’t think so. If it requires a question and answer session to know whats being offered by that name, then the name itself has been downgraded; it is a less precise, less effective, less useful, less reliable word than it once was. A word that can stand alone without modification and convey an exact meaning understood by all is better than a word which requires modification and discussion in order to know what the word means or refers to. That is not merely different, it is less than. (Regarding doughnuts: yes, you have heard people ask for yeast v. baking powder, they just used the terms “raised” vs “cake” although that wasn’t exactly what I was referring to. I was referring to the fact that donuts come in a wide variety of flavors and styles. Asking for a doughnut is impossibly generic unless you are someplace where they are only offering one single type and flavor. But most places that offer donuts offer at least two dozen different kinds.) ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2014, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beignet-is-the-name-for-fried-choux-paste-period-also-crullers/691748/104 "2014-06-30T03:11:48Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > You’re asserting that everyone on the planet says beignet and everyone they say it to knows they mean one kind or the other, and I am the only person who ordered one but received the other? I don’t think so. No, that’s not what I’m asserting. You’re continuing to parse words with the same level of skill that started this thread. “Everyone else on the planet” is of course an exaggeration. I am certain that you’re not the world’s least competent wordsmith; certainly there are other people worse at using language than you, and certainly some of those people have run into the same difficulty as you have. When I talk about “everyone else on the planet,” that’s shorthand for “the overwhelming majority of people.” Everyone else on the planet who read that phrase knew what it meant. See what I did there? > [@](#): > > If it requires a question and answer session to know whats being offered by that name, then the name itself has been downgraded; it is a less precise, less effective, less useful, less reliable word than it once was. It’s a more flexible word, adapted to a slightly different pastry because the people using the language at the time found the adaptation to be useful to them. You can whine and moan about that all you’d like, but THAT IS HOW LANGUAGE WORKS. It’s no more a downgrade than the fact that the sun sets at night is a downgrade, and it’s equally meaningful to try to stop both processes. > [@](#): > > (Regarding doughnuts: yes, you have heard people ask for yeast v. baking powder, they just used the terms “raised” vs “cake” although that wasn’t exactly what I was referring to. No, actually, I’ve never heard anyone ask for raised vs. cake doughnuts. I’ve certainly heard discussion of the terms, but never heard anyone ask the staff at Dunkin Donuts, “Are these doughnuts cake or raised?” But you’re right, that’s not exactly what you were referring to. To make it analogous to your complaint, I’d have someone come in here and declare that raised doughnuts are the only kind of doughnut, that cake doughnuts aren’t doughnuts. That’s the level of foolishness to which you’ve sunk. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2014, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beignet-is-the-name-for-fried-choux-paste-period-also-crullers/691748/105 "2014-06-30T04:52:12Z")
I once ordered clam chowder and got the Manhattan style. Now, that’s an abomination!! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2014, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beignet-is-the-name-for-fried-choux-paste-period-also-crullers/691748/106 "2014-06-30T05:34:56Z")
Oh you are going to be so pissed off when you go to Idaho and order a scone. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2014, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beignet-is-the-name-for-fried-choux-paste-period-also-crullers/691748/107 "2014-06-30T05:36:00Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > I am certain that you’re not the world’s least competent wordsmith; certainly there are other people worse at using language than you Only a handful, I’m sure. It’s a wonder that my feeble command permits me to participate in these forums, really. > [@](#): > > and certainly some of those people have run into the same difficulty as you have. Well, my “difficulty” has not been language-based. As previously noted, I am not complaining that I am not able to communicate effectively with purveyors of beignets of either type, my complaint is that the word beignet has been misused to the point of losing the precise and predictable meaning that it had for a century or two, thus making it necessary to communicate beyond “I’d like a beignet, please.” > [@](#): > > But you’re right, that’s not exactly what you were referring to. To make it analogous to your complaint, I’d have someone come in here and declare that raised doughnuts are the only kind of doughnut, that cake doughnuts aren’t doughnuts. That’s the level of foolishness to which you’ve sunk. Only if beignets are served on every other corner in dozens of permutations and it’s well known to everyone. That’s not happening, is it? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2014, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beignet-is-the-name-for-fried-choux-paste-period-also-crullers/691748/108 "2014-06-30T13:19:01Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > Well, my “difficulty” has not been language-based. As previously noted, I am not complaining that I am not able to communicate effectively with purveyors of beignets of either type, my complaint is that the word beignet has been misused to the point of losing the precise and predictable meaning that it had for a century or two, thus making it necessary to communicate beyond “I’d like a beignet, please.” No, your difficulty IS language based. You’ve got a situation in which the word’s meaning has expanded, and now you can’t use the word in the way you want to, and instead of taking the extra five seconds to use the word the way it’d be effective, you spend hours complaining about it in the Internet. If you understood how language functioned, you wouldn’t have bothered. > [@](#): > > Only if beignets are served on every other corner in dozens of permutations and it’s well known to everyone. That’s not happening, is it? :eek: That has nothing to do with anything. ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2014, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beignet-is-the-name-for-fried-choux-paste-period-also-crullers/691748/109 "2014-06-30T14:45:54Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Where I come from, if someone asked for “pigs in a blanket”, they usually referring to stuffed cabbage roles, and not hot dogs in biscuit dough. So does that mean I shouldn’t consider the hot dog dish as true pigs in a blanket, or vice versa? :dubious: And 'round here, they’re breakfast sausages wrapped in pancackes. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Sauron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Sauron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sauron)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2014, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beignet-is-the-name-for-fried-choux-paste-period-also-crullers/691748/110 "2014-06-30T15:51:12Z")
Wait wait WAIT … Are you telling me those doughnut-thingies from Cafe du Monde are NOT pronounced “bangits”? No\* WONDER \*they never get my order right! ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2014, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beignet-is-the-name-for-fried-choux-paste-period-also-crullers/691748/111 "2014-06-30T15:51:45Z")
> [@Missy2U](#): > > And 'round here, they’re breakfast sausages wrapped in pancackes. 😃 The way God intended it to be and the True American way. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2014, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beignet-is-the-name-for-fried-choux-paste-period-also-crullers/691748/112 "2014-06-30T17:08:19Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > No, your difficulty IS language based. You’ve got a situation in which the word’s meaning has expanded, and now you can’t use the word in the way you want to, and instead of taking the extra five seconds to use the word the way it’d be effective, you spend hours complaining about it in the Internet. . “Instead of”? You don’t really believe that. What a silly thing to say. (As it happens I haven’t had occasion to order a beignet in years. I was reminded of my annoyance while reading something…) ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2014, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beignet-is-the-name-for-fried-choux-paste-period-also-crullers/691748/113 "2014-06-30T17:17:17Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > “Instead of”? You don’t really believe that. What a silly thing to say. Wow, so your complaint is even more ridiculous: you know how to solve the problem, you know that it takes five seconds to do so, and you STILL rant and rave about it and call other people wrong, even though you know there are “two types of beignets?” Again: wow. ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2014, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beignet-is-the-name-for-fried-choux-paste-period-also-crullers/691748/114 "2014-06-30T17:56:14Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > Has waffles been mentioned yet? Belgium waffles and American waffles are different things. The former has yeast, the latter has baking soda… > [@monstro](#): > > When I went to Brussels, I had that kind of waffle. > > But I think when Belgium waffles are served in the US, they are more like [this](http://i0.wp.com/fifteenspatulas.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/belgianwaffle.jpg) than [that](https://foodtruckdream.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/centerstage-1.jpg). Belgium is a noun, Belgian is the adjective. Belgian waffles. Since we’re being all nit-picky in this here thread.😉 ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2014, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beignet-is-the-name-for-fried-choux-paste-period-also-crullers/691748/115 "2014-06-30T20:17:03Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Wow, so your complaint is even more ridiculous: you know how to solve the problem, you know that it takes five seconds to do so, and you STILL rant and rave about it and call other people wrong, even though you know there are “two types of beignets?” Again: wow. Keep up, Left. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2014, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beignet-is-the-name-for-fried-choux-paste-period-also-crullers/691748/116 "2014-06-30T20:34:59Z")
If it’s an issue of precision, might I suggest Lojban as an alternative to English? ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beignet-is-the-name-for-fried-choux-paste-period-also-crullers/691748/117 "2014-07-01T00:09:58Z")
Here’s my problem. People are assuming that the original meaning of beignet referred to it being made with choux. However, all the cites I can find (including the OED which has the first cite in 1835) refer to it as a fritter and of course a fritter is anything that is battered and fried. I see no references to choux at all. As far as I can tell, the original meaning of beignet, was any piece of fried dough. In fact, all of the sources I can find that reference it being made from choux pastry refer back to Wikipedia. I am willing to admit I am wrong. Can you provide a source that is not derived from Wikipedia that shows that the original French beignet referred to deep-fried choux-paste? (Incidentally-if you choose to google dictionary and beignet, I would stay away from urban dictionary, unless you have a burning desire to know what a Columbian beignet is. Hint-that’s NOT powdered sugar!) ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beignet-is-the-name-for-fried-choux-paste-period-also-crullers/691748/118 "2014-07-01T00:33:04Z")
> [@psychobunny](#): > > Here’s my problem. People are assuming that the original meaning of beignet referred to it being made with choux. However, all the cites I can find (including the OED which has the first cite in 1835) refer to it as a fritter and of course a fritter is anything that is battered and fried. Pretty much what this [LA Times](http://www.latimes.com/style/la-fo-beignets9jan09-story.html) article says. Also, from Larousse Gastronomique: > [@](#): > > Fritter (beignet): A preparation consisting of a piece of cooked or raw food coated in batter and fried in deep fat or oil. Other types of fritters can be made using choux pastry, yeast dough, or waffle batter…The principle of the fritter is simple, but the dishes vary enormously in shape and taste and range from regional specialties to classical dishes. (477) ---
**Author:** ![keturah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e95f7d/32.png) [@keturah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/keturah)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beignet-is-the-name-for-fried-choux-paste-period-also-crullers/691748/119 "2014-07-01T04:26:42Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > (In a few, gotta go to the poot) Given your demand for precision in language, this statement is hilariously unclear. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beignet-is-the-name-for-fried-choux-paste-period-also-crullers/691748/120 "2014-07-01T05:48:43Z")
Larousse is the OED of _cuisine_, that kind of settles it for me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beignet-is-the-name-for-fried-choux-paste-period-also-crullers/691748.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beignet-is-the-name-for-fried-choux-paste-period-also-crullers/691748.md?page=7)