New Orleans is famous for its food, Mardis Gras fueled debauchery and the music. The history of the city is deeply rooted in the African and Caribbean slave trade, which was of course directed by French and English expatriates. Those four differing cultures had a huge impact on all aspects of Louisiana traditions, but particularly in the food. In this particular article we will look at the wonderful world of New Orleans Cajun cuisine.
Literally, the phrase Cajun cuisine is derived from the style of food made by those driven out of Acadia (now Eastern Canada). The Acadians were of French origin, and therefore the cuisine they brought to the Louisiana area had a rustic French flair, but adapted to include local ingredients. These people were colonists, pioneers, farmers, people who had to be creative with what they found in the surrounding area; particularly celery, onion and the pepper. Acadians living in Louisiana incorporated African and Caribbean flavors, thanks to the slaves forced to leave their native lands. However there are also elements of Spanish, Portuguese and Italian in Cajun food, making it a truly multicultural style of cuisine.
Smoke meats make up a large part of the Cajun menu, as do barbecued meats. Frying, deep frying and braising are common methods of meat preparation and with lots of spices. Cajun food is most commonly associated with spicy heat, in actuality true Cajun food is full of the flavors of sassafras, thyme, garlic, oregano, bay leaf and cayenne. The heat is only present in a few dishes, others are sweetened with sugar cane. Corn and rice are common partners to any meat dish as well.
A classic Cajun dish is Jambalaya, although most people confuse it with the Spanish dish Paella. Jambalaya is a sort of Stone Soup dish, comprising of any ingredient available at the time. There are few staple elements of the dish always present: rice, celery, onion and peppers. After that, anything goes; poultry, seafood, tomato, okra etc. Another iconic Cajun dish is Gumbo, and once again can incorporate any number of ingredients that happen to be lying around. The distinction between Jambalaya and Gumbo is that Gumbo is more of a soup than a stew, made with a brown roux, always contains okra and is flavored with sassafras.
Cajun food is diverse and flexible in that dishes can be easily altered to incorporate ingredients readily found. It is a cuisine that truly speaks of its roots. The Acadians were exiled from their home in Acadia, so they made do with what was found in Louisiana. African and Native peoples from the Caribbean islands were forced into slavery away from their home land, and kept their cultural dishes alive with what they found in Louisiana. Therefore Cajun food is about adaptation and preservation of a culture.
Literally, the phrase Cajun cuisine is derived from the style of food made by those driven out of Acadia (now Eastern Canada). The Acadians were of French origin, and therefore the cuisine they brought to the Louisiana area had a rustic French flair, but adapted to include local ingredients. These people were colonists, pioneers, farmers, people who had to be creative with what they found in the surrounding area; particularly celery, onion and the pepper. Acadians living in Louisiana incorporated African and Caribbean flavors, thanks to the slaves forced to leave their native lands. However there are also elements of Spanish, Portuguese and Italian in Cajun food, making it a truly multicultural style of cuisine.
Smoke meats make up a large part of the Cajun menu, as do barbecued meats. Frying, deep frying and braising are common methods of meat preparation and with lots of spices. Cajun food is most commonly associated with spicy heat, in actuality true Cajun food is full of the flavors of sassafras, thyme, garlic, oregano, bay leaf and cayenne. The heat is only present in a few dishes, others are sweetened with sugar cane. Corn and rice are common partners to any meat dish as well.
A classic Cajun dish is Jambalaya, although most people confuse it with the Spanish dish Paella. Jambalaya is a sort of Stone Soup dish, comprising of any ingredient available at the time. There are few staple elements of the dish always present: rice, celery, onion and peppers. After that, anything goes; poultry, seafood, tomato, okra etc. Another iconic Cajun dish is Gumbo, and once again can incorporate any number of ingredients that happen to be lying around. The distinction between Jambalaya and Gumbo is that Gumbo is more of a soup than a stew, made with a brown roux, always contains okra and is flavored with sassafras.
Cajun food is diverse and flexible in that dishes can be easily altered to incorporate ingredients readily found. It is a cuisine that truly speaks of its roots. The Acadians were exiled from their home in Acadia, so they made do with what was found in Louisiana. African and Native peoples from the Caribbean islands were forced into slavery away from their home land, and kept their cultural dishes alive with what they found in Louisiana. Therefore Cajun food is about adaptation and preservation of a culture.
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