![]() ![]() These restaurants also served frog legs, and Pucheu invented the Rayne frog shipping business.įor some reason, Donat Pucheu got out of the frog trade but his place in Rayne history was quickly taken over by a fellow countryman of his. ![]() Since the town had a direct link to New Orleans and Houston by way of the transcontinental Southern Pacific Railroad, a ready market for perishable produce, like eggs, cabbage or tomatoes, quickly developed.īarkeep Pucheu had connections with some of New Orleans’ finest restaurants and began shipping freshly killed ducks, quail and snipe to them (which was legal to do in those days). ![]() Shortly after Rayne’s birth in the 1880’s, there came to the prairie town a French-born saloon keeper named Donat Pucheu. It seems natural that this bullfrog trade was initiated by Frenchmen and carried on by Acadians, two groups noted for their fondness for the tasty frog legs. What is surprising is that the Louisiana town was once famous worldwide for supplying frogs to gourmet restaurants across the United States and even to the European continent. That bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana in scientific terms and ouaouaron in Cajun terms) inhabit the area around Rayne is no surprise, since the amphibians thrive in bayous, rice fields, swamps and ponds. Why does this love affair with the slimy, swamp-dwelling denizens exist? The answer surprises many people, even some of those born and raised in the town: Rayne sold and shipped hundreds of thousands of the little wetland beasts throughout its history. There is even an annually celebrated Frog Festival. Several businesses bear “Frog City” in their official names and little green figurines adorn coffee tables and bookshelves throughout the town. Frogs grace the city’s official stationary and hang stylistically from the street lamps. Murals depicting the little amphibians are scattered throughout town, from the interstate to the south side. ![]()
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