By Jessica B. Harris
Pralines are a major part of culinary New Orleans. Where they came from, and how they got here is another fascinating tale of the city. Let’s begin with the no doubt apocryphal tale of the origin of the candy that became synonymous with the Crescent City. We are told that the cook of the French Duke of Plessis-Praslin (1589-1675) invented a method for coating whole almonds in grained caramelized sugar, and eventually began to produce the sweets that became increasingly popular commercially. By the 18th century, this form of the candy was well known in Europe and is even recorded in cookbooks as a “prawlin”. This meaning of the word praline is still used in chocolate making and refers to a candy that is prepared from crushed nuts and sugar. The nuts used are usually almonds, but they may also be hazelnuts or other nuts.
From Europe the term, if not the form, moves into the New World and the Caribbean sugar islands where confections prepared from sugar syrups or molasses with the addition of local nuts become commonly sold on streets by vendors who were often free people of color selling to make additional income, or enslaved folk working for their mistresses. The New World candies are found under varying different names like tablette de coco (coconut confections) in Martinique and Guadeloupe, pinda cakes (peanut patties) in Jamaica, and pe de moleque (young boy’s foot!) in Brazil. These candies commonly (but not exclusively) use local nuts: Brazil nuts, peanuts, and so forth.
According to John Mariani’s, 1999 Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink, in North America, pralines and their culinary cousins are a specialty of several southern states. In Louisiana, especially New Orleans, the name praline applies to candies made with pecans in a coating of brown sugar sold by Creole women known as pralinières. Even before the Civil War and Emancipation, pralines were an early entrepreneurial vehicle for free women of color in New Orleans. The confection is first mentioned in print in 1715, and was recognized as part of Louisiana food culture as early as 1762.
In 1901 the Daily Picayune, an early city newspaper, reminded people that the pralinières or older black women who sold pralines about the streets of the French Quarter were often found on Canal Street near Bourbon and Royal streets and around Jackson Square in the areas flanking St. Louis Cathedral. In the 1930s, the Louisiana folklorist Lyle Saxon, writing in the book Gumbo Ya-Ya, documented praline sellers, "garbed in gingham and starched white aprons and tignons, or head wraps, fanning their candies with palmetto leaves against the heat and bellowing the sales pitch ‘belles pralines!’ to passersby.”
Street vendors selling pralines are difficult to find nowadays, but the popular candy that is a much-loved souvenir of the city is available in multiple versions in shops around the French Quarter. In addition to the classic crisp pralines, innovations have led to creamy and even chewy versions. The late doyenne of New Orleans Creole cooking, Leah Chase, recalled that in her youth pralines were also available in pink and white versions prepared from both coconut as well as pecans which would place them even more firmly in the arc of New World Caribbean confectionary.
Pralines are still used by many African American women and young girls as a way to gain additional income and they can often be found alongside vegetables and fruits that are available for sale from car trunks and trucks in local neighborhoods. They are sold not only under the name praline, but often simply as pecan candy. The candy's winning flavor has spawned multiple recipes each with its partisans. As for the pronunciation of the word praline and the pecan nut that goes into the classic ones, the local New Orleans pronunciation is "prah-lean," while the nut most commonly used in it is pronounced "pec-cahn" (mispronounce them to a local if you want to hear a rude joke about a pee-can). However you pronounce them and wherever you find them, they have become a symbol of the city and are an edible reminder of its vibrant culinary history.
FAQs
Legend has it that the praline was introduced to the south by French settlers in the seventeenth century. Back then, the original treat featured almonds coated in sugar, however, pecans quickly replaced almonds due to their abundant availability in the south.
What is the history of Aunt Sally's pralines? ›
Aunt Sally's Pralines was founded by our family in the tightly-knit French Creole community of New Orleans in the early 1900s. Nearly a century ago, our founding family members, Diane and Pierre Bagur, lit a fire under a copper pot to bring our family's confectionary culture and love of New Orleans to the world.
What state is known for pralines? ›
In Louisiana, especially New Orleans, the name praline applies to candies made with pecans in a coating of brown sugar sold by Creole women known as pralinières. Even before the Civil War and Emancipation, pralines were an early entrepreneurial vehicle for free women of color in New Orleans.
What is the history of the Belgian praline? ›
To delight his customers in the apothecary, Jean Neuhaus first thought about covering medicines with the finest chocolate. In 1912, his grandson evolved this idea into the Belgian praline as we know it today: chocolate filled with delight instead of medicine.
What is an interesting fact about the praline? ›
Praline may have originally been inspired in France by the cook of Marshal du Plessis-Praslin (1602–1675), with the word praline deriving from the name Praslin. Early pralines were whole almonds individually coated in caramelized sugar, as opposed to dark nougat, where a sheet of caramelized sugar covers many nuts.
What the heck is a praline? ›
praline, in French confectionery, a cooked mixture of sugar, nuts, and vanilla, often ground to a paste for use as a pastry or candy filling, analogous to marzipan; also, a sugar-coated almond or other nutmeat.
Why is it called Aunt Sally? ›
There was a popular black-faced doll in the 1820s, also called Aunt Sally which may have had a direct influence on the game. The phrase Aunt Sally eventually became a term, still used today, for somebody or something that is an easy target for attack or criticism.
What is the best brand of pralines? ›
Loretta's New Orleans Authentic Pralines
Loretta's are the best pralines. They are sweet, the pecans are huge, and they have the perfect texture that rides a line between lusciously creamy and pleasantly grainy.
What does praline mean? ›
: a confection of nuts and sugar: such as. a. : almonds cooked in boiling sugar until brown and crisp. b. : a patty of creamy brown sugar and pecan meats.
What's the difference between a praline and a praline? ›
A praliné is a paste that is a mixture of nuts, chocolate and sugar. While in Belgium, a 'praline' is defined as a filled chocolate candy. Note that the term 'praline' is of Belgian origin.
Other terms for pralines include pecan pralines, pecan candy, plarines and pecan patties, to name a few. Modern day New Orleans pecan pralines are not very different than the ones made one hundred years ago. The common factors are dairy, sugar, and pecans.
Who invented the pralines? ›
The original praline was invented in France in the 17th Century. The Praline is named after César duc de Choiseul, comte du Plessis-Praslin, a French diplomat. No one is really sure who the original inventor of the praline is, but many believe it was Plessis-Praslin's personal chef Clement Lassagne.
What are the white spots on pralines? ›
Why are there white spots on my pralines? The white spots are a natural process called crystallization.
Is Lindt praline? ›
Discover our Lindt Pralines Du Confiseur - an exquisite selection of indulgent chocolate pralines, beautifully presented in a white and gold chocolate box. Since 1845, the Lindt Master Chocolatiers have combined their expertise with the highest quality ingredients to produce the finest chocolates.
What does praline stand for? ›
pra·line ˈprä-ˌlēn ˈprā- ˈprȯ- : a confection of nuts and sugar: such as. a. : almonds cooked in boiling sugar until brown and crisp.
Are pralines a New Orleans thing? ›
What are Pralines? A signature sweet of New Orleans, Pralines are unique candied treats adored by natives and visitors alike. Described as the nuttier cousin to fudge and known to melt in your mouth, pralines come in many shapes, sizes, colors and flavors.
Are pralines a southern food? ›
American praline: a creamy, fudge-like confection featuring a cluster of pecans coated with a caramelized mixture of brown sugar, granulated sugar, cream (or milk or evaporated milk) and butter. Though pralines are popular across the Southern U.S., they're most often recognized as a New Orleans specialty.
