Objectives WEEK

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▪ At the end of this session, the student should have:
• Describe and explain the characteristics of Cajun and Creole
Cuisine.
• Compare and contrast Cajun and Creole cuisine.

Cajun and Creole • Explain how gumbo and jambalaya came to be.
• Identify and explain variety of dishes, techniques and
ingredients specific to Cajun and Creole Cuisine.

Cuisine • Discuss the different culinary influences that shaped Cajun

and Creole Cuisine.
• Apply Cajun and Creole cooking techniques in preparing and
presenting representative Cajun and Creole dishes employing
standard principles, concepts, and quality factors
• Critique and evaluate prepared dishes based on standards of
quality for representative dishes.

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Louisiana Cuisine WEEK

Traditional Louisiana Cuisine WEEK

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▪ Louisiana Known as “the Pelican ▪ Louisiana has been
State,” Louisiana’s state bird is the
pelican. The pelican has been a
described as a
symbol of Louisiana since the arrival “cultural gumbo”
of early European settlers, who were in which each of
impressed with the pelican’s the different
generous and nurturing attitude
toward their young.
ingredients is
identifiable, yet all
▪ Louisiana is also known as the
“Bayou State” for the many slow, have blended,
sluggish, small streams that affecting each
meander through the lowlands and other.
marshes and as the “Creole State”
for the people of French and
Spanish descent and the culture that
they have preserved.

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Cajun and Creole Cuisine WEEK

Traditional Louisiana Cuisine WEEK

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▪ A complex blend of Native American, French,
Spanish, German, English, African, and Italian
influences create a unique regional culture. These
people have merged to become the Cajuns and
Creoles.

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 Historic Culinary Influences WEEK
Historic Culinary Influences WEEK

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European Discovery and Settlement French Rule
▪ Before the age of European exploration, the region was ▪ The French established their first settlement in
inhabited by thousands of Native Americans – the Natchitoches in 1686, but they found it difficult to
largest tribes included the Caddo, the Natchez, the attract settlers. not many people came to Louisiana
Chitimacha, and the Choctaw. They planted vegetables, until 1718, when Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de
hunted game, and fished along the east bank of the Bienville, established a port city, which he called New
Mississippi River. Orleans.
▪ The first Europeans to enter the ▪ New Orleans later
area were from Spain. Among became the
them were Hernando de Soto and commercial center
his expedition that explored large of the South and
parts of what is now the southern one of the country’s
United States and came though most important
Louisiana in 1542. international ports.

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The French Foundation WEEK

The French Foundation WEEK

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▪ With Spain pushing eastward from Texas and westward ▪ A number of French ingredients and techniques have
from northern Florida, and the English expanding the become essential elements of Louisiana cuisine:
Plantation South, France needed to quickly establish a • Mirepoix becomes the Holy Trinity
strong presence in this strategically crucial territory. The
• Three Domains of Fat: Butter, Olive Oil and Lard
solution was to send just about anyone willing to go:
• Roux of Many Colors
decommissioned French soldiers, woodsmen transported
from Canadian New France, working-class indentures, and • Cast-Iron Cooking
prisoners from French jails. These would-be colonists had • Cooking with Wine
little farming experience. However, they did have experience • French Bread served Hot
eating. • Fondness for seafood
▪ Louisiana’s French settlers hailed from a strong food culture • Colonial Domesticates from France
and thus were accustomed to a higher standard than the
typical English colonist. They readily adopted Native
American products and embraced virtually all second-settler
foodways. A strong food culture combined with culinary
liberalism results in a vibrant cuisine;

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The French Foundation WEEK

Native American Influence WEEK

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▪ As in other regions, delta natives taught settlers to grow
Three Sisters crops and to harvest corn as a staple grain.
Frenchwomen learned to pound corn kernels in wooden
mortars to make cornmeal, which they then cooked with
water to make porridge, or mush. They cooked parched
corn kernels with fish and salt pork to make simple
chaudières, or chowders.

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 Native American Influence WEEK
Native American Influence WEEK

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▪ However, such plain, bland food didn’t satisfy French taste ▪ Native Americans taught them how to exploit the
buds. Adventurous Louisiana colonists wished to liven up swamps, bayous, and surrounding forests. The
their diet, as in the frying pan revolt. Choctaws, Chitimacha, and Houmas showed them
▪ The story goes like this — in 1722 about fifty housewives, how to use ingredients.
brandishing cooking spoons and beating frying pans,
stormed the New Orleans home of the French Governor ▪ Local seafood posed culinary challenges as French
Jean-Baptise LeMoyne de Bienville protesting the lack of cooks learned to shell crawfish and pick blue crabs. By
familiar ingredients. They were tired of cooking cornmeal far the most daunting seafood was the alligator Native
mush. American cooks taught colonists to use bay leaves as
▪ Bienville put the angry women under the tutelage of his well as the ground, dried sassafras leaves, called filé
housekeeper, Madame Langlois, who knew the cooking powder.
secrets of the Choctaw squaws. She taught them how to
make gumbo out of local ingredients. and even opened a
cooking school. She’s known as the mother of Creole
cuisine. In response, Louisiana cooks began experimenting
with indigenous ingredients and seasonings early on.

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The African Element WEEK

The African Element WEEK

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▪ In 1719, one hundred years after the introduction of slaves ▪ Slaves of African origin also changed Louisiana cuisine,
to the Jamestown colony, two ships landed in Louisiana adding ingredients, cooking methods, and taste preferences
bearing 450 slaves of African origin. Their arrival marked the virtually from the beginning. Even the language of Louisiana
beginning of a massive forced immigration not only of cooking is replete with African words. Aside from this, their
Africans but also of Caribbean-Africans and African- culture became evident in the cuisine including:
Americans from the Plantation South. • Rice Culture and Cuisine
▪ Slave labor made possible • Okra
large-scale cultivation of • Moussa and Coush-Coush
o Moussa is a savory version of
cotton, indigo, sugar cane, and
cornmeal mush served as a
rice. Slaves changed the face starch accompaniment to stews
of delta topography, and braised dishes.
transforming marshes into o Coush-coush is a soft cornmeal
agricultural fields by mush sweetened and served
constructing a complex system with cream for breakfast.
of levees and digging ditches • Strong Seasonings and Inventive
Combinations
to drain the land within them.

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Foods from the Plantation South WEEK

Foods from the Plantation South WEEK

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▪ Louisiana’s proximity to the Carolina colonies made them a ▪ Despite many shared techniques and dishes, however, the
cost effective source of slaves. Among these slaves were two cuisines remain quite different. Plantation South cuisine
thousands of cooks bringing recipes and techniques learned lacks the fiery flavors and multilayered complexity of
in Southern planters’ kitchens. Thus, Louisiana cooking Louisiana cooking. A comparison of the two regions’ settler
includes Plantation dishes such as fried chicken, cornmeal- groups reveals why.
crusted fried fish, vegetables cooked with seasoning meats, • Whereas English Plantation Southerners merely accepted Africa’s
and barbeque. flavor preferences, Louisiana’s French and Spanish settlers embraced
▪ Louisiana’s best-known dish, the bold and spicy cooking of their African and Afro-Caribbean cooks.
gumbo, fundamentally belongs to • The difference lies in the strength of the respective food cultures:
the Carolina Lowcountry. Since the English minimized, and both French and Spanish quite strong.
mid-1600s, Gullah cooks on • Early on, Louisiana settlers were keenly interested in food and
cooking, demanding complexity and variety in their meals. Given free
Carolina’s sea islands had been
rein in the kitchen and an eager, appreciative audience, African-
preparing okra-thickened seafood American cooks in Louisiana experimented with a variety of herbs,
stews and serving them over rice. spices, and seasonings.
Written recipes for Carolina gumbo • Therefore, Louisiana cuisine is richer, spicier, and more complex than
predate Louisiana’s founding. Plantation South cuisine.

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 Caribbean Ingredients
▪ A small but influential group of Louisiana settlers arrived
from the French islands of the Caribbean. When sugar trade
declined, French sugarcane planters moved their operations,
including slaves. These Afro-Caribbean slaves had mastered
the use of Caribbean ingredients, such as rum, molasses,
and tropical fruits and vegetables, and were familiar with
Caribbean barbeque. They had learned to roast and blend
South Asian spices brought by indentured workers from
India. These ingredients and techniques came to Louisiana
along with Caribbean immigrants and became an important
element in Louisiana cuisine.
▪ Along with cotton and rice, sugarcane became a cash crop
that fueled Louisiana’s economy and sweetened its cooking.
The ready availability of cane sugar allowed Louisianans to
make sumptuous desserts and sweet beverages everyday
fare.
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Caribbean Ingredients
▪ Louisiana’s proximity to the Caribbean ensured consistent
trade between the two areas even after the French exit. In
addition to the ingredients just discussed, Caribbean fruits
such as bananas, pineapples, and coconuts are important in
Louisiana desserts.
▪ Caribbean rum is used in Louisiana desserts, particularly
Creole flambé specialties. Rum is also the liquor of choice in
the region’s specialty cocktails, made famous in New
Orleans’s French Quarter bars.
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German Settlers
▪ Louisiana’s German settlers brought their Old World taste
preferences and cooking style with them. However, German
cooking didn’t catch on in the region because its heavy,
mildly seasoned dishes didn’t suit Afro-French taste
preferences. Instead, German farmers’ food products
enhanced the quality of the region’s already established
cuisine.
▪ In the 1800s German food
artisans began opening
businesses primarily selling
breads, sausages, and beer.
Most of the region’s
commercially produced loaves
are actually made in bakeries
founded by Louisianans of
German ancestry.
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WEEK
Caribbean Ingredients WEEK
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▪ Caribbean immigrants brought with them a strange-looking
fruit known in Louisiana as the mirliton, a tropical squash
also known as chayote or christophene.
▪ Although most Louisiana cooks refer to them as hot
peppers, chiles are an essential part of Louisiana cooking.
Louisiana cuisine uses chile in several forms.
• Cayenne powder is used in rubs and added
to the roux of sauces and gumbos
• Crushed red pepper is used in marinades
and sprinkled on sandwiches;
• Fresh cayenne peppers and Italian green
chiles are used raw and cooked;
• Mexican jalapeño and serrano chiles have
entered the cuisine in the past few years;
and,
• Hot pepper sauce is a universal condiment.
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WEEK
Caribbean Ingredients WEEK
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WEEK
German Settlers WEEK
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▪ The Germans also brought pigs, chicken, and cattle.
Their extensive knowledge of all forms of charcuterie helped
establish the boucherie and fine sausage making in
South Louisiana.
• Louisiana-German-style smoked pork sausage is a
favored ingredient in the defining dish red beans ‘n’ rice
and is often included in gumbos & crawfish boils.
• Catering to the region’s international population,
German butchers soon expanded their offerings to
include Spanish-style chorizo and French andouille.
• After Acadians arrived, they began making Cajun-style
pork products such as tasso and boudin.
▪ As in other American culinary regions, Louisiana’s beer
industry was founded by Germans. By the late 1800s New
Orleans boasted more than twelve breweries producing a
variety of local beers. Falstaff, Regal, Dixie, and Jax are
legendary Louisiana brews.
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 Spanish Rule WEEK
Spanish Rule WEEK

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▪ In 1762, France lost the Seven Years’ ▪ During Spanish rule, paprika entered the
War. As part of War reparations, the array of chile products used in Louisiana
Treaty of Fontainebleau removed cooking, adding flavor and color to
Louisiana from France and gave it to Louisiana dishes. Today paprika is
Spain. For the next 40 years Louisiana dusted onto gratins and other composed
was under Spanish rule. dishes and is typically included in the
▪ The Spanish introduced tomatoes to seasoning mix for blackened dishes.
Louisiana cooking. Spanish cooks began ▪ The extent of Spanish influence on
simmering tomato sauces and adding Louisiana cuisine is significant,
tomatoes to numerous recipes. considering the short duration of
▪ They also popularized eggplants and bell Spanish rule. After only 40 years, Spain
peppers, both often sautéed or stuffed ceded Louisiana back to the French,
who then held it for less than a month.
and baked. Green bell peppers are an
indispensable part of the “holy trinity” In 1803 Louisiana became a U.S.
aromatic vegetable base. territory as part of the Louisiana
Purchase.

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American Louisiana WEEK

American Louisiana WEEK

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▪ In 1803, the French needed cash to finance another ▪ Civil War took its toll on Louisiana. Much of Louisiana’s
war with Britain. In a deal that would nearly double the economy was in ruins—but not New Orleans’. While the rest
size of the United States, President Thomas Jefferson of Louisiana floundered, New Orleans held its ground. As a
bought the Louisiana Territory from the French for only center of commerce far from the enemy North, New Orleans
survived the war with culture and cuisine intact.
$15 million.
▪ The biggest blow to Louisiana cooking was the demise of
▪ Just nine years later, in rice cultivation; until the development of mechanized rice
1812, Louisiana farming in northern Louisiana and eastern Texas,
became the 18th state Louisianans had to eat expensive imported rice or make do
to join the Union. with moussa. By the turn of the 20th century, Louisiana had
Today, Creole become thoroughly American in its commerce, industry, and
cooking reflects the communications. However, Louisiana culture remained
history of sharing unique, its population largely retaining French folkways and
and borrowing foodways and the cuisine largely escaped the culinary
decline of the 1950s, surviving the 20th century virtually
among the state’s
intact.
ethnic groups.

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Italian Immigrants WEEK

Italian Immigrants WEEK

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▪ Part of the great wave of immigration that poured into the ▪ Italians introduced Parmesan cheese to the Louisiana
United States in the late 1800s, immigrants from the south region, at first as a topping for tomato-sauced pastas. Soon
of Italy were drawn to Louisiana’s warm climate and Parmesan cheese was added to casseroles, savory crêpes,
economic opportunities. In New Orleans, Italian-American stuffed vegetables, and sauces. In Louisiana cuisine
entrepreneurs opened grocery stores and sandwich shops, Parmesan is even added to seafood dishes, a practice
at first catering to other Italian immigrants but soon serving unknown in traditional Italian cooking. Italian-style cheeses,
the city as a whole. such as Provolone, Asiago, and mozzarella, are featured in
▪ The Louisiana repertoire began Louisiana sandwiches, many of which are Italian in origin.
acquiring subtle southern Italian ▪ Italian immigrants made artichokes
touches as Louisiana cooks an important part of 20th-century
embraced pungent Parmesan Louisiana cuisine. Two well-known
cheese, anchovies, Italian-style cured Louisiana artichoke preparations
meats, and thicker, spicier tomato are Italian legacies: crumb-stuffed
sauces. One of the most prominent baked artichokes and marinated
Italian influences is the addition of artichoke hearts.
pasta dishes to Louisiana cuisine.

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 Italian Immigrants WEEK
Louisiana Cuisine WEEK

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▪ Italian immigrants, particularly Sicilians, brought their
repertoire of stuffed vegetable dishes. In Catholic Louisiana,
cheese- or seafood-stuffed vegetables were served on the
many fast days.
▪ Louisiana vegetable stuffings are
based on rice or bread crumbs
and may contain meat, poultry,
or seafood. Eggplant, artichokes,
squashes, and tomatoes are only
a few of the vegetables that may
be hollowed and stuffed. A
hollowed and stuffed baked
bread or eggplant is called a
pirogue, named after the
Louisiana dugout canoe it
resembles. Development of Louisiana Cuisine

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Creole Cuisine WEEK

Creole Cuisine WEEK

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▪ New arrivals from Europe joined the original French and ▪ Sophisticated City Cuisine
Spanish settlers and called them “Creoles”
▪ The Creoles were generally wealthy and educated, and
▪ The word Creole is a Romance language term that originally they brought with them a variety of celebrated
described people of pure European ancestry born and European customs and traditions.
raised in a colonial territory.
▪ Creole cooking, like Cajun, depended heavily on
▪ In the Americas it usually applied to people of French,
Spanish, or Portuguese descent born in the New World.
whatever foods were available. But Creole food, unlike
Because of frequent racial intermingling, Louisiana Cajun, began in New Orleans. Creole food, or “city
recognized two separate Creole societies: white Creoles food,” was created by sharing cooking styles and is
and Creoles of color. considered more sophisticated and complex than
▪ However, the modern, popularly accepted definition lists
Cajun cooking
Creole as a person of mixed European-African race born in
Louisiana, the Caribbean, or Latin America. Louisiana
Creoles are typically urban or suburban, and of Catholic
heritage.

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Creole Cuisine WEEK

Cajun Cuisine WEEK

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▪ Louisiana Creole cooks had access to virtually any ingredient they ▪ Acadians, French colonists who settled in eastern Canada
desired. Cosmopolitan Creole cooks blended these ingredients in in the early 1700s, left when the British took control of
new combinations, stopping only a tiny bit short of excess, to Canada. A few Acadians avoided deportation by crossing
create a cuisine of depth, imagination, and sophistication. into New England with some loading into ship. Wishing to
• French food products were most prevalent. Fine cheeses, hams and
build the population of their newly acquired Louisiana
dried sausages, Dijon mustard, wine vinegars, confectionery supplies,
Bordeaux and Burgundy wines, liquors, and liqueurs are only a few of colony, the Spanish government offered to transport
the homeland products available to Louisiana’s Creoles. displaced Acadians to Louisiana.
• After 1762 Spanish ingredients entered the mix. Saffron and paprika, ▪ In 1785, seven ships
olives, capers, pimentos, Spanish-style hams and dried sausages, salt
cod, sherry vinegar, and Spanish wines and fortified wines arrived
delivered 1,600 Acadians to
directly from Spain, and chiles, chocolate, vanilla, coffee, and tropical the port of New Orleans
fruits came from Mexico and South America. and, through subsequent
• Rum, allspice, coconuts, citrus, and other decades, many more
varieties of tropical fruit arrived from the arrived. Each Acadian
nearby Caribbean.
family was given a parcel of
• New Orleans received Chinese and Indian
teas as well as a full spectrum of spices land and supplied with
from Asia. tools, seeds, and livestock.

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 Cajun Cuisine WEEK
Cajun Cuisine WEEK

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▪ When Acadians arrived in southwest Louisiana, they ▪ Country Cooking
adopted Native American dugout canoes and became ▪ Cajun cooking, earthy and
experts at catching indigenous fish, shellfish, and game robust, has been described as
animals. They mingled with free African-Americans “country cooking” -- is based
preparing both soul food–style Plantation South cooking and on food that was indigenous to
Creole cooking. the area.
▪ Acadians embraced the region’s ▪ Because of the simple utilitarian
ingredients and bold seasonings kitchen of the traditional Cajun,
and took spicing to a higher one-pot meals were practical
level. However, authentic Cajun and common and contain a
dishes are not fiery-hot. Over variety of ingredients gathered
time their French language took from the “swamp-floor pantry.”
on a lazy Southern drawl, and ▪ This is reflected in their
Acadian became Cajun. Thus, a jambalaya, grillades, stews,
Cajun is a person of Acadian étouffées, fricassées, soups, and
ancestry born in Louisiana. gumbos.

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Cajun Cuisine WEEK

Cajun Cuisine WEEK

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▪ Dishes that “Stretch”
▪ Cajuns readily adopted Creole gumbos, courtbouillons, and
étouffées, transforming them into Cajun style with many personal
variations. In such dishes the protein item is frequently considered
secondary to the sauce.
▪ Long, slow cooking; deep browning; skillful thickening; and robust
seasoning make Cajun sauces full-bodied and intensely flavorful.
Such sauces make a little bit of meat, poultry, or seafood pack a
lot of satisfaction.
▪ Dishes that “Stretch”
▪ As in Creole cuisine, plain pan-steamed white rice accompanies
most Cajun dishes. However, dressings often replace or
accompany it. The Cajun term dressing means “stuffing.” Cajuns
prepare dressings based on rice, wheat-flour breads, and corn
breads. These dressings are typically flavored with a small amount
of protein food. Dressings are yet another way to “stretch” the
expensive protein component of a meal: With a plate piled high
with tasty dressing, you need only a little bit of meat.

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Cajun Cuisine WEEK

Cajun Cuisine WEEK

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▪ Flavor Building Techniques
▪ In Creole cooking, strong-tasting, full-bodied stocks are an essential
element in Cajun soups, sauces, and composed dishes. Equally
important are ingenious Cajun flavor-building techniques:
• Browning. Browned is a signature flavor of Cajun cuisine. Both
caramelization (the browning of sugar) and Maillard browning (the
browning of proteins) are important elements of Cajun cooking.
Aromatics are caramelized slowly, glazed and repeated several times
so the dish acquires a deep, bittersweet flavor. Maillard browning
occurs when roux is cooked through the various categories, and
when meats are grilled, roasted, or sautéed deep brown. Maillard
browning is combined with caramelization when syrups or fruit glazes
are brushed onto roasting and barbequing meats to produce a sweet-
savory, crusty exterior.
▪ Flavor Building Techniques
• Layering and Staging. Cajun cooks use a variety of seasonings,
including dried and fresh herbs, whole and ground spices,
homemade or purchased condiments, shallots and scallions, and
garlic and onions in both granulated and fresh form.
• In a Cajun method called flavor layering, the same basic ingredient is
used in two or more forms to create a complex taste. For example,
granulated garlic may be used in the rub for a rack of pork, whole
peeled garlic cloves strewn around it to braise in the pan juices, and
minced fresh garlic added to the sauce.
• Another flavor-enhancing method called
ingredient staging involves adding the same
ingredient at different stages in the cooking
process. For example, when making a gumbo a
Cajun may add only half of the “holy trinity”
vegetables to the roux at the beginning of
cooking so they dissolve into the sauce, and
then add the remaining half later in the cooking
process to create texture.

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 Cajun Cuisine WEEK
Cajun Cuisine WEEK

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▪ Cajun Charcuterie ▪ Eatin’ Swap Critters
▪ Louisiana Cajuns are masters of ▪ Hunting and fishing remain popular pastimes among Cajuns who enjoy
charcuterie, the preparation of preserved the sport but primarily want the food. Delta marshlands are the last stop
pork products. In fall most traditional Cajun on America’s central migratory flyway, where teal, pintail, and mallard
families hosted a boucherie, or hog- ducks, and wild geese stop to rest before crossing the Gulf.
processing party, in which home-raised
▪ Amphibians have a place of honor on the Cajun table. Turtle, called
hogs are butchered, fabricated, and then
cooter as in the Plantation South and South Florida, is used in stews,
preserved in many ways.
soups, and gumbos and is baked in its own shell. Frog legs are fried crisp
▪ At a boucherie some of the pork is cooked or simmered in spicy sauce. Alligator is prized for its firm, pale tail meat.
on the spot and served to hungry Crawfish are a hallmark of Cajun cuisine.
participants. Much more is transformed into ▪ Although some of these swamp critters are enjoyed by many Louisianans
spicy Cajunstyle hams, sausages, bacon, and are part of Creole cuisine as well.
and other products. The hog’s skin
becomes grattons, or cracklings. The fat is
rendered into lard, the Cajuns’ most
important cooking fat. The products
prepared at their autumn boucherie were
expected to last a Cajun family throughout
the winter.

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Cajun and Creole Cuisine WEEK

Cajun and Creole Cuisine WEEK

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▪ As these two regional
cuisines become more
difficult to separate, it
is important to
remember that food in
Louisiana represents
a celebration of life, a
joy in living, and
comes with the
admonishment:
Laissez Les Bon
Temps Rouler! (“Let
the Good Times Roll!”)

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Famous Dishes WEEK

Famous Ingredients WEEK

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The Holy Trinity Creole Cream Cheese

▪ In Cajun and Creole ▪ A fresh white cheese, made

from skim milk, buttermilk and
country this refers to rennet, has a mild, slightly tart,
the mirepoix-style trio slightly sweet taste. The beneficial
of vegetables that bacteria used to make Creole cream
includes onions, green cheese are indigenous to the region
bell peppers, and and the results cannot be duplicated
celery. The proportions elsewhere.
are determined by the ▪ Creole cream cheese is eaten as a
dish that is being snack or served with any meal.
Commonly eaten mixed
prepared.
with cream, sugar and fruit or plain -
just seasoned with salt and pepper.

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 Famous Ingredients
Creole Mustard
▪ A locally made mustard
made from spicy dark
mustard seeds that are
marinated in vinegar
before use. Creole
mustard is quite pungent
and is similar to
horseradish. It is
frequently used in
remoulade sauce and
served with ham and
po’boy sandwiches.
49
Famous Ingredients
Roux
▪ A classic French thickening agent
made by combining equal parts
flour and butter and cooking it
prior to use—the cooking process
gradually colors the roux. The
dark roux used in Cajun and
Creole cuisines helps provide
richness and depth of flavor to the
dishes.
• Category 1: Peanut Butter Brown
• Category 2: Sticky Bun Brown
• Category 3: Fudge Brownie Brown
• Category 4: Black Coffee Brown
1 2
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Famous Ingredients
Alligator
▪ This large reptile, indigenous
to the swamps, rivers, and
marshes of Louisiana, is
considered a Cajun specialty.
High in protein while low in
fat and cholesterol, it may be
compared to chicken. The
choicest cuts of alligator are
the tail and jaw sections.
Alligator meat needs to be
trimmed of all fat and
tendons before it is cooked to
prevent it from becoming
tough
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WEEK
Famous Ingredients WEEK
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Creole Tomato
▪ A locally grown tomato that
has a very thin skin, a low
acidity level, and a very
high juice content. Known
for its sweet aroma and
characteristic taste, attributed
to Louisiana’s fertile soil and
humid air. In season from
June through August, it is
rarely shipped outside of the
region. Refrigeration
diminishes its natural sweet
flavor.
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WEEK
Famous Ingredients WEEK
5 5
Sweet Potato
▪ Adapt well to any cooking
technique whether it is baking,
frying, mashing, candying,
grilling, or using them as an
ingredient in desserts.
Tabasco Sauce
▪ A spicy hot sauce made from
Tabasco peppers, vinegar, and
salt, currently available in over
100 countries. Tabasco is best
added to food after it is
3 4
removed from heat.
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WEEK
Famous Ingredients WEEK
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Chesapeake Seasoning
▪ Traditional East Coast seafood and
meat seasoning. Mixed from salt,
paprika, mustard, ancho, celery,
black and red pepper, dill, caraway,
allspice, ginger, cardamom, thyme,
bay, mace, cinnamon, savory and
cloves. Commonly available as Old
Bay Seasoning
Blackened Redfish
▪ Seasoned with a custom blend of
Cajun spices and cooking it at a
super-hot temperature in a cast-iron
skillet. Blackened redfish became so
famous that it is now considered the
icon of Cajun cooking.
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 Famous Ingredients
Brown Meunière Sauce
▪ A brown butter sauce, much like the
French sauce beurre noisette. It is made
by adding demi-glace sauce and
cayenne pepper to brown butter, giving
it a spicy flavor and a nutty aroma, used
to top both meat and fish dishes.
Cane Syrup
▪ The concentrated sap of the sugarcane
plant, also referred to as “light
molasses.” Cane syrup is frequently
substituted for maple syrup and
molasses in Cajun and Creole
preparations.
55
Famous Ingredients
Remoulade Sauce
▪ A mayonnaise-based
sauce flavored with Creole
mustard, finely diced
vegetables, herbs, and
spices that is commonly
served with seafood. Each
chef customizes his or her
recipe with the choice of
condiments and
seasonings added to the
sauce’s mayonnaise base.
57
Famous Dishes
Gumbo
▪ Descended from the French
bouillabaisse and renamed from
the West African word for okra,
guingombo, this type of hearty
soup or stew is frequently served
in the Louisiana region. It blends
and balances all the varied
ethnic influences that have
shaped present-day Louisiana
cooking—the Spanish love of
rice and spices, the Southern
fondness for okra, the French
technique of making roux, and
the Caribbean art of combining
seasonings.
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Mirliton
▪ A light green, pear-shaped
vegetable also referred to as
“chayote” in other regions of
the United States. The mirliton
came to Louisiana with settlers
and slaves from the West
Indies and is similar to squash.
It is available from August
through November. Though it
can be prepared using a
variety of cooking techniques,
it is frequently stuffed with
breadcrumbs and seafood.
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Turtle
▪ Until the middle of the 1990s,
turtles were abundant in the
Louisiana region and their meat
was commonly sold at stalls in
New Orleans’s French Market.
Due to a diminishing population,
turtle meat is now available only
through farms. Turtle was most
frequently used to prepare soup,
which was made as a clear broth,
a cream soup, or thick like a stew.
The fat from female turtles is
considered a delicacy.
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Gumbo
▪ In New Orleans and
southeastern Louisiana,
seafood gumbo is made
with shrimp and crabs, and
tomatoes are added and
cooked in the pot with the
gumbo. In southwestern
Louisiana, the favorite recipe
includes chicken and
andouille sausage gumbo
thickened with only roux—
no okra or tomatoes.
Gumbo is traditionally served
with or over rice.
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▪ Étouffée - The French term étouffée means
“smothered.” In a Louisiana, food is cooked in a
thick brown-roux sauce similar in consistency to
gravy. Foods commonly étoufféed include shrimp,
crawfish, rabbit, frog legs, ‘gator, pork, and
chicken. Classic étouffée contains no tomato.
▪ Courtbouillon - In classic French cuisine, it is a
poaching liquid for seafood consisting of white
wine, water, mirepoix, and bouquet garni.
However, Creole cooks replaced the mirepoix with
“holy trinity,” the water with fish stock, adding
tomatoes, and thickening it with brown roux,
transforming it into a hearty, brownish-red sauce
redolent of wine and herbs. Creole court bouillon
teams the sauce with red snapper or redfish, while
Cajuns typically prepare this sauce with crawfish.
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▪ Red Beans ‘n’ Rice – Louisiana red
beans are simmered with a ham bone or
other seasoning meat. Red wine adds
color and flavor, and fresh parsley is said
to counteract the beans’ effects on
digestion. The tender beans and their
savory sauce are served over plain, pan-
steamed white rice, often accompanied
by andouille sausage or a pork chop.
▪ Tasso - A sausage of pork liberally
seasoned with filé powder, garlic, and red
pepper, and then cured and smoked for
two to three days. Due to its heavy salt
and smoke flavor, tasso is rarely eaten on
its own but is used as a flavoring agent
for a variety of preparations.
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Po’Boy
▪ A traditional submarine sandwich
traditionally served hot and include
roast beef, fried shrimp, or oysters.
The meat is served on baguette-like
New Orleans French bread comes
in two-foot-long "sticks," with
lettuce, tomato, pickles, and
mayonnaise; onions are optional.
Beignet
▪ French for “fritter.” Beignets are
diamond-shaped, raised doughnuts
without the hole in the middle. They
are typically topped liberally with
powdered sugar before serving.
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▪ Creole - Louisiana cuisine includes a
category of dishes called Creole. A true
Creole consists of food cooked in a light-
textured fresh tomato sauce subtly
flavored with brown roux. Peppers, onions,
and ham are traditional ingredients as well.
▪ Piquante - The French term piquante
means “spicy-hot.” Originally attributed to
Creole cuisine, but enthusiastically
adopted by Cajuns, a piquante is basically
a Creole sauce with the addition of fresh or
canned green chiles. In Southwest
Louisiana, many cooks use a Texas
product, Ro-Tel canned diced tomatoes
with green chiles, to make sauce piquante.
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Jambalaya
▪ The Spanish dish paella was the
source for this rice dish. The
Spanish immigrants adapted their
recipe to local ingredients. Oysters
and crawfish replace the clams and
mussels, and andouille sausage
replaces the ham. The dish was
originally named jambon a la yaya
after an African word for rice, yaya.
Jambalaya has evolved into one of
America’s most popular rice dishes
and is made with pork, chicken,
and andouille sausage, or whatever
products are available.
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Boucherie
▪ A Cajun tradition and communal
feast that centers around the
slaughter of a pig.
▪ Using “everything” but the oink,
the cooks prepared cracklings
from the skin, headcheese from
the brain, and lard from the fat.
They used the entrails for
sausage casings and made
sausages such as boudin blanc,
boudin rouge, andouille, and
tasso. The organs were used to
make a dish called “debris.”
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Muffuletta
▪ A sandwich of muffuletta loaf
split horizontally and covered
with layers of marinated olive
salad, mortadella, salami,
mozzarella, ham, and
provolone.
▪ The signature olive salad
consists of olives diced with the
celery, cauliflower and carrot
seasoned with oregano and
garlic, covered in olive oil, and
allowed to combine for at least
24 hours.
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Gateau de Sirop
▪ A traditional spice cake that has
been sweetened with cane syrup,
topped with icing made from brown
sugar, and sprinkled with pecans.
Maque Choux
▪ Corn kernels, poultry stock, butter,
Cajun seasonings, and “holy trinity”
vegetables are simmered until dry
and are allowed to stick lightly to
the pan; deglazed several times
with stock and finally finished with
cream, this rich preparation makes
a good side dish with grilled or
roasted meats or poultry.
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▪ Cajun Popcorn - Cooked crawfish tails
are coated in a thin batter spiked with hot
sauce and deep-fried crisp, then served
with various dipping sauces.
▪ Natchitoches Meat Pies - Highly
seasoned, cooked ground beef is folded
into lard-enriched, half-moon-shaped
pastries that are deep-fried golden brown.
▪ Crawfish Boil - A proper boil includes
new potatoes, onions, corn, and
sometimes links of smoked sausage. The
foods are boiled in salt water flavored
with whole garlic cloves, celery, lemon,
and “seafood boil” (a mixture of bay
leaves, whole spices, and dried chiles).
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Bread Pudding
▪ This dessert combines the
influences of the French, with their
bread, and the Germans, with
their eggs and dairy products.
Cubed stale bread is soaked in a
mixture of milk, sugar, and eggs,
and then baked. Some include
raisins and/or pecans; some are
made with white sugar and some
with brown.
Café au Lait
▪ Coffee made with the addition of
ground chicory root and served
with steamed milk.
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King Cake
▪ This cake is traditionally
served during Mardi Gras
celebration. It is a brioche
ring filled with a mixture of
nuts and topped with
green, purple, and gold
icing (the colors of Mardi
Gras). A small prize is
hidden inside the cake, and
the person who finds the
prize in his or her portion is
expected to make a
donation to charity.
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▪ Baked Topped Oysters - Oysters on the
half shell are napped with a thick sauce
and baked until the sauce is bubbly
• Oysters Rockefeller features a thick,
bright green, anise-scented puréed
herb topping; most recipes add
spinach for its color.
• Oysters Bienville are topped with a
thick, creamy seafood velouté with
shallots, white wine, egg yolk liaison,
and chopped shrimp
• Oysters Roffignac are topped with a
thick red wine/tomato/mushroom
seafood velouté.
• Oysters Broussard are topped with a
creamy mixture of chopped artichoke
hearts, mushrooms, ham, and crab
meat, andParmesan.
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▪ Okra Gumbos
• Seafood Okra Gumbo: #4 roux,
quarteredin-shell crabs, shrimp,
oysters, tomatoes, and optional
tasso or ham.
• Chicken and Shrimp Okra
Gumbo: #3 roux, chicken legs,
tomatoes, shrimp, and optional
tasso or ham.
• Chicken and Tasso Okra
Gumbo: #3 roux, chicken legs,
and tasso ham.
• Duck and Oyster Okra Gumbo:
#3 roux, domestic or wild duck
legs, and oysters.
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▪ Croquesignoles – These cakelike,
rectangular doughnuts served with
confectioner’s sugar or a sugar glaze,
are a Cajun specialty.
▪ Calas - Crisp round fritters are made
from a sweetened, spiced wheat-flour
batter blended with cooked rice. This
popular breakfast item or afternoon
snack is served with cane syrup,
honey, or jam.
▪ Oreilles de Cochon - “pig’s ears,” are
thin discs of dough, slit from edge to
center. When fried they curl into the
shape of a pig’s ear. Dusted with
confectioner’s sugar, they accompany
coffee. brunch staple.
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▪ Frog Legs - Dredged in seasoned
flour and deep-fried, frog legs may be
accompanied by a Creole rémoulade
or lemon wedges for a classic
appetizer.
▪ Chicken Rochembeau - Holland rusks
are napped with a thick, chicken stock–
based mushroom velouté and then
topped with a sautéed boneless
chicken breast; the chicken is then
napped with sauce béarnaise.
▪ Grillades ‘n Grits – Braised veal or
baby beef cutlets in a spicy “holy trinity”
tomato sauce. The meat and sauce are
served on a bed of white or yellow
grits.
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▪ Pain Perdu - “lost bread”; classic
French toast saves stale Creole
baguette by soaking it in egg and milk
seasoned with sugar, brandy, and
orange flower water, then frying it
crisp in clarified butter. Served with
cane syrup, jam, and/or clotted
cream, pain perdu is a breakfast and
brunch staple.
▪ Bananas Foster - halved bananas to
be caramelized in brown sugar and
butter and then flambéed with rum
and banana liqueur. The hot bananas
and sauce are served over vanilla ice
cream.
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