Mardi Gras Recipe Madness
"New Orleans food is as delicious as the less criminal forms
of sin."
- Mark Twain, 1884
If New Orlean's population is an exciting "stew" of nationalities and cultures, its cuisine is a rich, tasty "gumbo" of French provincial, Spanish, Italian, West Indian, African, and Native American cooking flavored with a liberal dash of full-fledged southern
Provicial French recipes brought to the New World by early settlers fast acquired a subtle change with the use of native herbs and file (ground sassafras leaves) from Native Americans. Saffron and peppers arrived somewhat later along with the Spanish. From the West Indies came new vegetables, spices, and sugarcane, and when African Americans arrived, an Afriacn influence was added.
Out of all this came the distinctive "Creole" culinary style unique to New Orleans. Italian touches later on added yet another dimension to the tables in New Orleans, and through it all, traditional Old South dishes were retained virtually intact.
Both Cajun and Creole have come to mean "New Orleans." What's the difference between the two? Chiefly it lies in their origins. Cajun cooking came from country folk, those Acadians who left France for Nova Scotia in the 1600s and made their way to the swaps and bayous of rural Louisiana after being expelled by the Bristish in the 1700s. Their much-loved French dishes traveled with them, but along the way the recipes were adapted to ingredients available in the area. Their cuisine tends to be quite robust and hearty, with sausage, poultry, pork, and seafood prepared in a rich roux (a seasoned mixture of fat and flour) to lend a distictive flavor and served over rice.
Creole dishes were developed by French and Spanish city dwellers. Delicate sauces and attention to presentation are characteristic of "haute Creole," while "low Creole" favorites, such as red beans and rice, are likely to come to the table with as little fanfare as Cajun food.
As a general rule, when it comes to New Orlean's food, Creole means hot and Cajun will be spicy. But both can be hot and spicy.
Cafe Brulot
Definition: Coffee mixed with spices and liqueurs served flaming.
Crayfish
Definition: Sometimes spelled "crawfish" and always pronounced that way-a tiny, lobster-looking creature plentiful in the waters around New Orleans and used in every possible way in cooking.
Etouffee
Definition: A Cajun dish-a kind of smothered stew served with rice, which may contain crayfish; and always contains something good.
Gumbo
Definition: A thick, spicy soup, always served with rice. Gumbo is thickened either with okra, a roux, or file' powder (ground sassafrass leaves); of course, these can be combined.
Hurricane
Definition: A local drink of rum and passion fruit punch.
Jambalaya
Definition: A jumble of yellow rice, sausage, seafood, vegetables, and spices.
Muffuletta
Definition: One of the largest and tastiest sandwiches you'll ever eat! A mountain of Italian sausage and meats with mustard, pickles, and a mess of other things, piled onto thick buns.
Red Beans and Rice
Definition:
Recipe Files
Favorite New Orleans Spices
 Allspice |
Bay Leaves |
Cayenne Pepper |
Cloves |
File |
Onions |
Parsley |
Saffron |
Tabasco |
Thyme |
Favorite New Orleans Sausages
| Andouille |
A hard sausage; a bit salty. |
| Boudin |
Contains onions, spices, pork, and rice and comes in white or red. |
| Chaurice |
A hard sausage used chiefly for flavoring beans or soups. |
Cajun and Creole Recipe Links
"Nowhere else have all the ethnic groups merged to combine all these different tastes, and the only way you'll know the difference, honey, is to live 'em!"
-Paul Prudhomme; famed chef of K-Pail's Louisiana Kitchen
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Page updated on February 17, 1998