Table of Contents:
Cajun
Creole.
Other Cuisines.
Traditional Dishes
Wines of Louisiana. Louisiana Beers. Louisiana Spirits.
Spicy, saucy, boozy, bawdy are words you may find in descriptions of Louisiana cuisine. And in many cases, those terms fit whether you are preparing, presenting, or consuming it.
To me, every meal in Louisiana feels like an event. Not necessarily a five-course meal extravaganza, although I like those. But there always seems to be a little festivity either in the air or on the plate. They take their joie de vivre (joy of life) seriously.
Computers, apps, and time cards are a threat to the Louisiana way of life. When you arrive, you want to slow down. Have a glass of local Louisiana tea and set a spell. The cuisine takes its time as well.
Like most cuisines, Louisiana cuisine is the food of the working people and the poor. Slow cooking and flavorings can make anything delicious.
Fresh and saltwater ingredients are easy to come by, so they figure in many of the recipes.
So what is Louisiana cuisine? That I can sum up in two words, Cajun and Creole. You better learn the difference.
Taste Louisiana Cajun.
Cajun and Creole are the same things, aren’t they? Be ready to duck if you say that to a real Cajun or Creole.
In all fairness, many restaurants use the terms Cajun and Creole interchangeably. They should know better.
But when you get into the home kitchens, that’s when you can see they are two distinct ethnic groups.
They have a unique history, traditions, culture, and cuisine. Both groups use recipes from their mothers, who got them from their mothers, who…
So who are the Cajuns? The Cajuns are descendants of the Arcadian people who came south from Canada to get away from the British. Their original recipes probably had more meat (small animals like squirrel, beaver) and freshwater fish.
When you end up in a new location, you need to make do with what you can get your hands on. Wild game, seafood, locally grown vegetables, and pigs were more accessible than the “meat” back home. Many of the Arcadians (Cajuns) settle in southwest Louisiana. They call this area Arcadiana.
Seafood is not far away. You use what you can get your hands on. Along the rivers, they found crawfish, and it soon became a regular ingredient. So Cajun is not authentic Arcadian cuisine. It’s southern Arcadian. It is a taste Louisiana calls its own.
Today, many Acadiana residents will also have Native American, French, German, Italian, or other ethnic blood in their family. And other ethnic tweaks to their cuisine. But at the end of the day, their life is firmly that of the Cajun culture. You will taste it in the food and hear it in Cajun-French music and language.
There are Some Similarities.
The Cajun and the Creole people were not growing apples or pineapples or herding beef cattle in Louisiana. They were raising or growing what their land would sustain, so the two cuisines were using many similar ingredients.
If you go back far enough, they are variations on French cooking. That means many dishes begin with the holy trinity of French cuisine, the mirepoix, carrots, celery, and onion. Louisiana’s holy trinity leaves out carrots and adds green peppers to provide the flavor foundation.
And we should mention spices. They constitute a significant part of Louisiana cuisine.
Cajun spices are garlic powder, onion, black and cayenne pepper. Creole spices are the Cajun mixture with additional spices, including basil, paprika, oregano, and more.
Over the decades, the lines between different groups of people can blur. In short, who knows 100% what authentic Creole or Cajun is. Betty Crocker was not around to jot the first recipes down.
And Many Differences.
Some call Cajun, Louisiana country food. It comes from the rural and country areas of Southwest Louisiana.
While Creole is city food, well, that was partially true at one time.
One blanket statement that you can make is that if you find tomato in it, it’s not Cajun. But not always.
Like sauce piquant, some Cajun food starts with tomatoes as one of the main ingredients. See? A little blurry.
Cajun cooking often uses vegetable oil or animal fats; they are less expensive than butter. (And available in the 18th century.) You may find some Cajun pot dishes more like soup as they only put in what they had.
The Acadians were extraordinarily resourceful, and their relatives are today. They had little storage and rarely refrigeration, So, nothing went to waste. When slaughtering animals, all parts go for something.
Pigs are popular in Cajun cuisine. When they are butchering a hog, they call it a boucherie. Many Cajun sausages come from the pig. They include Boudin, Tasso, and Andouille.
Hot and Spicey
Cajun food is spicey. Many Americans think spicey means hot.
Hot versus Spicey 101 – Take a small ball of cream cheese and roll it in a mixture of garlic, thyme, and parsley. Pop it in your mouth. Taste all the different flavors? These are spices, and what you taste is spicy.
Now, roll a ball of creme cheese in cayenne pepper. Can you see (feel) the difference? This sensation is hot or heat. They are not the same thing.
Remember, Cajun dishes began with whatever they could find. Often this was the less desirable parts of animals. Slow cooking makes it easier to chew. Flavorings make them easier to swallow.
You will find garlic, paprika, thyme, file (ground sassafras leaves), green onions, parsley, and other spices in the Cajun kitchen. In general, think of these as 95% of your seasoning.
Cajuns do like a little heat. Cayenne pepper, or pepper sauce, make up the other 5%. The McIlhenny family has been making TABASCO Pepper Sauce on Avery Island since 1868. Did you know there are several levels of heat?
Taste Louisiana Creole
Creole cooking is older then Cajun. It dates back to the 1700s when the French begin settling in Louisiana. Some say 1718 when Nouvelle-Orléans, begins forming.
Cajun cuisine arrives with the French Arcadians during the late 1700s.
Is Creole today the same as 1718? Probably not. Don’t forget that Louisiana was Spanish for much of the second half of the 18th century.
Criollo was the label the early American-born Spanish and Portuguese people gave themselves. Over the years, the term Creole split as these people began mingling with other groups. The growing group would include native-born slaves of African descent as well as free people of color.
The term “French Creole” would apply to someone of European ancestry born in the colony. The term “Louisiana Creole” refers to those of mixed racial descent.
The Creole people are a blend of the various cultures of New Orleans, and so is their food. Creole today has hints of African, Caribbean, German, Italian, Native American, Portuguese, Spanish, and possibly other cuisines.
Creole cuisine is “city food” and more high brow than Cajun. Traditionally, the kitchen slaves of the society people would spend all day preparing the family’s food. They also had access to an abundance of resources. That’s why you find tomatoes in Creole cuisine. The upscale markets had them.
In short, more time and abundant ingredients for fewer people. Mom’s food will always taste better than banquet food.
There are some similarities.
Salt, Black pepper, Garlic, Onion powder, dried Oregano, and Thyme are in both kitchens.
Both cuisines use Cayenne pepper, although, I think, the Cajun has a little heavier hand with this spice. Interesting as early Cajuns did not have access to this luxury spice.
In contrast, many Creole dishes seem to have a hearty dash of paprika. Traditionally, neither use enough to cause permanent damage to your tongue and stomach.
And Many Differences.
Creole spices may also include celery seed, sweet basil, white pepper, and other imported spices.
Another food group you find in Creole cooking is dairy. There are French-inspired creamy soups and sauces. A Creole roux is always with butter and flour, while a Cajun roux uses oil.
Okra originates in Africa, possibly Asia, before that. Certainly not in a Cajun garden. Another clue your recipe might be Creole in origin. Taste Louisiana Creole and see the difference.