Calas

Calas are made of rice in a sugary egg batter, deep fried and dusted with powdered sugar. “They’re like beignets, only better-with a more interesting backstory” according to Poppy Tooker who hosts Louisiana Eats on NPR in New Orleans.

Scholars think slaves from rice growing parts of Africa brought Calas to Louisiana. In the 1700s, during French rule, slaves were given one day off each week, usually Sunday. After church, African women would roam the streets of the French Quarter touting their wares with the chant – “Beautiful Calas! Very Hot!

When the Spanish took control of Louisiana in the 1760s, they brought with them a powerful legal instrument, coartacion, which gave slaves the right to buy their freedom. Selling Calas was a key way to earn money to buy freedom for their families and themselves.
Maria Godoy