Café Du Monde

What does it take to be named Louisiana’s official state donut? “An unconventional shape and an unforgettable flavor,” reveals Burt Benrud, vice president of Café Du Monde, famous around the world for its French-inspired coffee and donuts, better known as beignets. Café Du Monde’s beignets have been fried in cottonseed oil, paired with piping café au lait and served up at the 24-hour French Market hotspot for nearly 150 years.

Café Du Monde’s fourth-generation owners count on cottonseed oil to continue the legendary flavor of its beignets, created from an old family recipe. “Cottonseed oil is part of the original recipe,” says Benrud. “If you want to maintain consistent flavor from one generation to the next, you have to adhere to your original recipe.”

Café Du Monde knows it can count on cottonseed oil for another 150 years. “People have tried to sell us on other oils in the past, but it detracts from the original flavor of our beignets,” says Benrud. “They just never tasted as good.”