New Delhi, May 23 -- It's 8am and I am at Coffee Call, one of the most popular coffee houses in Baton Rouge, the capital of Louisiana. A plate of beignets and cafe au lait arrive at the table. I am looking forward to this sweet treat that all of Louisiana adores. But the powdered sugar heaped over the beignets holds me back. I am wearing black, and the server seems to understand. "You gonna get sugar all over you," she says, placing a sugar shaker next to me. "In case you need more," she smiles.

There is no neat way to eat a beignet. The fritter is often reduced to a doughnut without a hole, but that doesn't begin to describe this Louisiana love. The dough is yeasted, soft, and slightly sticky, cut into squares and dropped into hot oil. ...