ABBEVILLE, LA — The final preparations are being made before the Giant Omelette Celebration kicks off Saturday morning in Abbeville's Magdalen Square. The event has been put on by Confrerie D' Abbeville for more than 30 years and while the cooking of the giant omelette is the main event, there is a lot more to the celebration than eggs. "It's a different kind of a crowd, it's an older crowd, it's very quiet except for the French music which I dearly love", says New Iberia artist Vernon Baque. He will be selling his unique metal sculptures and woodwork from his Sparks and Sawdust booth this weekend.
Dozens of vendors will open up shop Saturday morning for the two-day event. You'll be able to browse, art work, stained glass, Christmas gifts, and a festival staple...pickles and jellies. Mark and Sylvia Venable of Church Point already have their craft tent fully stocked with just about everything you can imagine in a jar. Mark says there will be a variety of options for everyone this weekend, "there's all kinds of homemade gifts for Christmas, there's birdhouses, there's lawn and garden ornaments, all kinds of things."
The menu is not just limited to eggs. There are at least five vendors from across the state setting up in the adjacent food court. Offering a variety to choose from. To see the schedule of events and learn more, click HERE.
2019 Giant Omelette Food Vendors:
Brew-Bacher’s Grill – hamburger, cheeseburger, cowboy burger, cheese fries, French fries, onion rings
Ohh Taste and See – turkey leg, red beans, gumbo, chicken basket, pork steak, alligator, boudin or duck on stick, crawfish fettuccine, fried liver or gizzards, nachos, tacos, quesadillas
Orleans Catering – BBQ hamburger, fried chicken wings/fries, grilled chicken or shrimp, fried pork chop, red beans & rice, spicy shrimp fries, pull apart BBQ pork, hot or corn dogs
Papeep’s Cajun Eats – brisket or tasso sandwich, sausage po-boy, chopped beef in BBQ sauce, fried shrimp, catfish or combo plate, chicken nugget basket, fried pie or chili dog, nachos, French or sweet potato fries, onion rings, dill pickles, chips
Riverfront Restaurant – seafood boulettes, seafood jambalaya, shrimp/okra gumbo, shrimp stew, smoked tuna dip, shrimp stuffed avocado, salads/toppers, potato salad
History of the Giant Omelette:
According to legend, when Napoleon and his army were traveling through the south of France, they decided to rest for the night near the town of Bessieres. Napoleon feasted on an omelette prepared by a local innkeeper which was such a culinary delight that he ordered the townspeople to gather all the eggs in the village and to prepare a huge omelette for his army the next day.
From this beginning, the omelette became a tradition to feed the poor of the village at Easter. It has also become the symbol of a world-wide fraternity, rich in friendship, tradition and cultural exchange, known as the Confrerie.
Preparation of Abbeville’s “5000 Egg” Giant Omelette:
5000 Eggs + 1 for each year the festival has existed This year (2018) we will cook 5034 eggs!!
50 lbs. Onions
75 Bell Peppers
4 Gallons Onion Tops
2 Gallons Parsley
1 1/2 Gallons Cooking Oil
6 1/2 Gallons Milk
52 lbs. Butter
3 Boxes Salt
2 Boxes Black Pepper
15 lbs of Louisiana Crawfish Tails
TABASCO® Pepper Sauce (to taste)
The Confrerie members gather to crack the eggs.
Pour eggs into 5 gallon buckets
Add salt, pepper, milk & TABASCO® Pepper Sauce
Blend with unique mixing tool (you will have to attend to know what this is)
Set above ingredients aside.
Prepare skillet with oil and butter
Add onions & bell pepper, sauté
Add Louisiana crawfish, sauté
Add egg ingredients to the ingredients in the skillet on command.
Stir gently and merrily to the beat of the Cajun music in the background.
Just prior to completion add parsley & onion tops. Remove skillet from fire.
The Omelette is served free to all who gather to watch with a side of Poupart’s French Bread! C’est Bon!!
Preparation of the fire starts as early as 8:00 am on Sunday morning. The sand is placed on the roadway and the wood is expertly placed by our
Maitre du Feu Elray Schexnaider. The fire is actually lit around 11:00 am to prepare for the cooking which starts around 1:30 pm.
Preparation of the Children's Omelette:
600 Eggs
9 Bell Peppers
6 lbs Onions
1/2 Gallon Onion Tops
3 lbs Louisiana Crawfish
5 lbs. Butter
1 Qt. Milk
1 Pt. Oil
Salt
Pepper
TABASCO©
Preparation of the children's Omelette is done alongside of the Giant Omelette by our Jr. Members.
It is also served free to the hungry crowd with a side of Poupart's French Bread.
