Marchande

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A marchande is a term that refers to a female street or country merchant/vendor usually selling Creole cheeses, herbs, pastries, condiments, or jams. These women were common in South Louisiana up until the beginning of the 20th Century, but in the last 100 years died out as a custom. The marchande as a phenomenon became obsolete, and while there are still street vendors throughout the south, they do not have the status or the fame of the Creole Marchandes of old.