New Orleans History -- Lake Pontchartrain
Thursday, December 12, 2024
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1976 Times-Picayune Article About Pralines

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According to Jennifer Quayle in the Times-Picayune (May 2, 1976):
'It's said that pralines were named after Cesar du Plessis Praslin (pronounced 'pralin') a grand marshal of pre-Napoleonic France. According to legend, it was Praslin's valet who suggestd his master's almonds be cooked with sugar to prevent indigestion.... When Praslin came here with his candy, ..., the natives tried to copy it (since almonds weren't readily available, Louisiana pecans were substituted.' Ms. Quayle goes on to suggest that house servants learned to make the candies from their mistresses and soon began to sell pralines on the streets of the Crescent City. For at least the last 50 years pralines have been manufactured by commercial firms, although many families still make their own using old family formulas or recipes from a variety of local cookbooks.

Sources: href="http://nutrias.org/~nopl/facts/origins.htm">http://nutrias.org/~nopl/facts/origins.htm
href="http://www.auntsallys.com/">http://www.auntsallys.com/