Louisiana's cultural history is a unique blend of Native American, European (especially French and Spanish), West African, Caribbean, Haitian, and other ethnicities. All of the state's peoples brought bits and pieces of their native cuisine to the table – literally. While Louisiana's restaurants offer up nationally popular meals like the rest of the United States, Creole and Cajun cuisine will really give you a taste of Louisiana.
Creole and Cajun Cooking
"Creole" and "Cajun" are often used interchangeably when speaking of Louisiana's cuisine. However, despite many similarities between the two, they're actually two different types of cooking, starting with the people who created them.
Though the term Creole has been applied to both whites and blacks in Louisiana, it originally referred to the rich French and Spanish planters who colonized the state. They were used to grand meals prepared by their personal chefs, so many Creole meals were inspired by lavish French and Spanish dishes. The Spanish also contributed one of the signature characteristics of Creole cuisine – its blend of tomatoes, onions, and green peppers. With their sophisticated tastes, Creoles also loved sweets like pralines, beignets, and flan.
Because imported ingredients were initially difficult to obtain, cooks used local foods like shrimp, crawfish, crabs, oysters, and pecans in their dishes. Free blacks and black slaves added their own touches, like African seasonings, collard greens, and okra. When Caribbean spices became readily available in the 1700s, they were also incorporated into Creole cuisine.
In the late 1800s, Sicilian immigrants flocked to southern Louisiana. They combined Italian and Creole culinary traditions, creating a new sub-genre, Creole-Italian cuisine. "Red gravy" is one of its staples, a rich tomato sauce which includes sugar and fried tomato paste. Many variations of red gravy exist, and they frequently top pastas and meats. Creole-Italian cooking often uses seafood, in such dishes as Crawfish Fettuccine and Crabmeat in Garlic Cream Sauce.
Cajuns, on the other hand, are mostly descended from French Canadians who immigrated from Acadia (now Nova Scotia) in the mid-1700s. They were hard-working people living in difficult times, and their strong, practical food reflected that. Their food tended to be made from locally grown products, was hearty (to fill those stomachs quickly after long, hard days), and generally made all in one pot. It was under these conditions that gumbo and jambalaya came into fruition.
Gumbo is perhaps Cajun country's greatest contribution to the culinary world. The beloved dish is a hearty stew whose base lies in a dark roux. From that point on the recipe varies depending on who's making it. Ingredients vary because originally gumbo was made based on whatever ingredients were readily available. This is also true of jambalaya. The only ingredient that remains the same throughout each recipe is rice. This lack of rules in the kitchen is common in both Creole and Cajun cooking, making it hard to keep track of recipes. In Cajun cooking, especially, originality is key. The addition of filé (powdered sassafras leaves) to some gumbos is a Native American contribution to the dish. Sausages, such as andouille and boudin, are common in Cajun cooking.
The confusion between Creole and Cajun cooking likely stems from the fact that over the years, each has adopted recipes from the other and added their own twists. Gumbo became such a popular dish that it spread not only to Creoles but to other Southern populations as well. Today, many food experts consider Creole cooking to be the European-influenced haute cuisine served in New Orleans restaurants.
Other Foods
Although Cajun and Creole foods can be found all over the state now, both originated in southern Louisiana. Northern Louisiana was settled primarily by people whose ancestry lay in the British Isles, as well as by African slaves. Their culinary traditions have more in common with Southern cooking in general. Foods passed on from Native Americans, such as grits, corn bread, and wild game are popular. Families in the region grow a wide variety of vegetables. Beans are particular favorites, and an amazing array of different types of beans are eaten. As in other Southern states, corn, sweet potatoes, and greens are also favorite vegetables. Jams, jellies, preserves, relishes, chow chow, and pickles are typical condiments. While pork is by far the region's favorite meat, in some places cattle is also raised. Overall, northern Louisiana's cuisine is less spicy.
A main staple in Louisiana cuisine – be it Cajun, Creole, or otherwise – is seafood. This is because Louisiana lies on the Gulf Coast, not to mention the many lakes, rivers, and bayous that run throughout the state. Crab, crawfish, shrimp, and various fish are all found in Louisiana's water sources and used liberally.
All over Louisiana, cooking is more than a necessary chore - it's an event. There are festivals year-round with food at the center of the festivities, and, of course, parties. One such party is a boucherie. A boucherie is a party in which a pig is slaughtered and roasted while the guests socialize. After the pig is served up, all of the leftovers are preserved and used for other meals and to make sausage. Seafood boils are another popular food-based party, in which guests come together and boil seafood (usually crawfish) over propane cookers with various vegetables. The cooked seafood is then spread out over tables, seasoned, and served up on platters for everyone to eat with their hands. If you love seafood, it doesn't get much better than this.
When visiting Louisiana there's no better way to experience the local culture than by sampling the many flavorful and hearty foods that the locals readily share. From its hearty gumbo to fun seafood boils, Louisiana's food scene is an experience every vacationer can find joy in.
