VLVL(4)(y) Bayou Coffe and Donuts

[Vincent A. Maeder]

	"beignets and chicory coffee"? (VL, Ch. 4, p. 43)  Yes, coffee
and donuts, chic California yuppie style.  "The magnificent beignet
(pronounced "ben-yay"), also known as a French Market doughnut. The
symbol of New Orleans and the French Quarter."
http://www.crescentcitybeignets.com/beignet.html  Though, both these
things seem to come from Bayou country.
	"Chicory is an herb which contains no calories nor caffeine. It
is a common plant throughout Europe, Asia, and America, and is often
seen growing in the wild as well as being cultivated. In its wild form,
it is a perennial, but cultivated, it is an annual. Although we
recognize this plant with its lacy blue flowers growing alongside our
highways and in empty fields, it is actually the root which we
eventually identify with. Looking much like a turnip, the root is cut
into slices, kiln dried, then roasted and ground in a similar manner to
coffee. Although it has the appearance of coffee at this point, that is
where the similarities stop! Chicory has bittersweet overtones and is
definitely an acquired taste.
	"The primary use of Chicory has been as an inexpensive
substitute for coffee, or as an extender in commercial grade coffee to
keep down the cost of blends. Before the turn of the century, it was
common practice not only to substitute Chicory for coffee, but chick
peas, barley, oats and even ground acorns as well. In 1907, the Food and
Drug Act became effective, requiring labels to state when a filler was
employed, and the practice of undisclosed substitution began to decline.
	"Although the truth in labeling has been in effect for many
years now, many parts of our country actually prefer the taste of coffee
when blended with Chicory. One need only cross over the "Mason-Dixon"
line to see what this means. There is a little known story that during
the Civil War, the North had cut the South off from its supply of coffee
from Europe. In its resourcefulness, the South simply harvested the wild
Chicory and used it as coffee substitute until the war was over. The
taste became so ingrained however, that even today the South's coffee of
preference usually contains some Chicory."
http://www.thecafeconnection.com/CCPages/chicory.htm