64 Parishes

Lagniappe

A popular term in Louisiana usually tied to the gifting of something small—or a little something extra—with a purchase.

by Michael Mizell-Nelson, PhD

This entry is 1st Grade level   View Full Entry

Lagniappe

Project Gutenberg

Lagniappe as depicted in Mark Twain's "Life on the Mississippi," 1883.

Lagniappe is a word used in Louisiana to refer to a free giveaway or a small gift added to a purchase or experience as a little something extra. For example, when a bakery gives away an extra cookie or treat with the purchase of a cake or box or pastries, they call the custom “lagniappe.”

 

 

 

Author

Michael Mizell-Nelson, PhD

Additional Data

Entry Published June 28, 2023
Entry Last Updated August 1, 2023
Coverage 1880s–present
Category
Topics
Regions Greater New Orleans
Time Periods Antebellum Period, Bourbon Era, Civil War Period, Contemporary Period, Late-20th Century, Long Era, Reconstruction Period
Index letter L
Louisiana K­–12
Student Standard(s) for Social Studies 		1.8 e.

1.8 Identify examples of Louisiana culture, including:

e. Traditions: lagniappe, second line parades, king cake, red beans and rice on Mondays
Adapted From The text of "Lagniappe" is adapted from the following 64 Parishes encyclopedia entry or entries:
"Lagniappe" by Michael Mizell-Nelson, PhD
Credit This material was created through a partnership between the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities and the Louisiana Department of Education with funding provided by the Louisiana Department of Education and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-ShareAlike license (CC BY-NC-SA).