Lagniappe, lay-GNAP: a Cajun-Creole word meaning a small gift given by a merchant to the buyer at the time of purchase, often of food.
Flipping through the most recent issue of Gastronomica, we noticed on the very last page is a section titled "Lagniappe." It wasn't a term we could remember hearing before.
We discovered that the word has roots in the Spanish and Quechua words for "gift" or "giving," and the practice of lagniappe originated in Louisiana. Reading through definitions and descriptions, we started to feel there was more to this practice than meets the eye.
When a farmer slips a few extra strawberries into our basket or our favorite baker hands us a fresh cookie along with our bag of dinner rolls, we feel like there's a personal connection being made.
With this unexpected and unsolicited gift, the exchange of money and goods becomes something more social and friendly. It's not really about what small gift we've received. It's more that it was given.
Sure, skeptics can say that it's in the seller's best interest and the ulterior motive is that we'll come shop there again. And that may very well be true!
But we prefer to think of it as lagniappe--something special and welcoming.
What does lagniappe mean to you?
Related: Weekend Meditation: Belonging
(Image: Flickr member angela7dreams licensed under Creative Commons)
When I attended summer camp in the North Carolina mountains as a child, "lagniappe" referred to the small, end of the day snack, usually a cookie and a cup of punch, we had right before going back to our cabins for the night.
view H.H. Hannah's profile
Being from Louisiana, lagniappe is a way of life for me! It's all about that little bit extra. Perhaps lagniappe is what gives Louisianians that special charm and friendliness they are known for! I remember in school when we were given free time or fun activities, that was lagniappe. Lagniappe is also a catch-all for anything that doesn't fit into a specific category.
view kaycie's profile
Lagniappe is all about people just being friendly! I see this a lot at the local market--just random examples of generosity and good will. To me, in that context, it's one of the human aspects of sustainability.
view OneWallKitchen's profile
I'm from Trinidad and Tobago, where we also use the word lagniappe. Although our definition is pretty similar to the one given, to us I think it usually has more to do with "leftover" or the "last one". It's more like when someone measures a pound of tomatoes for you, and it's a little bit over a pound, but they don't charge you for the extra (the lagniappe). Also, when there is a large difference in age between the youngest child in a family and the next elder, the little one is referred to as a lagniappe, like an unplanned little bonus from God.
view islandchild's profile
yay! i love learning words that sound/spell so beautiful and define such a unique moment.
view kdkaboom's profile
Like islandchild I too grew up in T&T, I always thought it was a Trini word!
view H is for Home's profile
I am also enjoying this new word!
Thanks to islandchild I suppose I can apply lagniappe to myself as my oldest sister is 11 years older than me.
The West Side Market in Cleveland, OH has been into this kind of giving all my life, from when I was a little girl and the "pickle lady" always gave us huge pickles for free, to now buying things myself and getting a little extra tossed in the bag.
That same kind of family feel is at our local farmer's market but, sadly, seldom do I see it anywhere else these days.
view bobcatsteph3's profile