Rayne’s frog-rich history re-discovered in cookbook

RAYNE - Cajun gumbo, frogs and good music -- sounds like a family gathering of today, but it’s not.
Local “frog capital” enthusiast Eldine Comeaux was eager to travel to the Rayne Acadian-Tribune office to share her find.
“I was looking through this interesting cookbook, thumbing through the pages to see if I could find something good to cook, and look what I saw, Ms. Lisa,” she said as she pointed to the replication of an old newspaper article of 1886 explaining a “gumbo soiree” hosted by none other than Donat Pucheu, the first Rayne exporter of frogs.
The Rayne frog industry began in the late 1800s and has been a part of the community ever since, continuing today with the annual Rayne Frog Festival held every Mother’s Day weekend.
First to recognize the marketing potential of Rayne’s giant frogs was the Frenchman who came to America when he was only 19, married in Washington of St. Landry Parish, and moved his family to Rayne in the 1880s.
Seeking a way to obtain things that were not available here, he began trapping the wildlife of the area to trade for other hard-to-come-by foods. Pucheu is credited with being the first to ship frogs from Rayne.
He shipped frogs, snipe, quail and ducks to the markets in New Orleans in exchange for gourmet foods, the finest of imported cheeses and wines, along with such rarities as spices and flavorings.
Right-dab in the middle of the cookbook, “Cajun Men Cookbook,” is a paragraph entitled “GUMBO AT THE RAYNE DROP SALOON, 1886”.
The paragraph explains the setting of the day way back when, “From the Rayne Signal, March 20, 1886: “The gumbo soiree at the Rayne Drop Saloon last Saturday night was a very enjoyable affair. In addition to the gumbo and palatable beverages served up, amusements of different kinds were indulged in by many present. The music, by the Rayne Mutual Band, was excellent, and added much pleasure to the occasion. Mr. D. Pucheu, the manager of the saloon, displayed good taste in the artistic manner in which he had everything arranged and served out, and with his courtesy and urbanity made all present feel comfortable and at home. Such reunions of gentlemen, when properly conducted, certainly can not be out of place.”
“While I was browsing through the pages,” continued Comeaux of her find, “the name ‘Rayne’ kinda jumped off the page, no pun intended. It caught my eye and I just had to share it with you.”
Thanks are expressed to Eldine for sharing her rare find not only with us, but with the “Frog Capital of the World.”