where did Cajun cuisine originate?

Answer 1

Cajun and Creole cuisine has enjoyed a recent popularity boom in the last ten years or so, and has resulted in countless cookbooks, cooking shows, and restaurants available in all regions of the United States. Paul Prudhomme single-handedly brought prestige to Cajun/Creole cooking in his cooking shows and cookbooks in the 1980's. He calls his unique marriage of Cajun and Creole cuisines "Louisiana Cooking".
This popularity has shifted the image of Louisiana cooking to become one of a gourmet delight. However, many of the foods we know today as Cajun cooking was looked down upon, a symbol of lower and working classes. The Creole style of cooking, on the other hand, evolved from the wealthier kitchens of planters and of affluent urban homes in New Orleans. Working in these kitchens were chefs of Caribbean/African descent, who added their own unique style of cooking. Additionally, some foods and resources were available to city dwellers and the wealthy, and is seen in the types of foods that are distinctly Creole.

According to Deany Cheramie of Thibodeaux Louisiana, cooking location of the early Cajuns varied seasonally; during the winters, they cooked on indoor hearths; the heat produced also warmed the home. During the summer months, they cooked on outside hearths, and had outdoor bread ovens as well. Cast iron cookware was the only utensil available to the early Cajun; nowadays, many Cajuns prefer to use cast iron instead of other types of cookware.

Homes were simple and utilitarian; the design of the home was originally from Nova Scotia, but was modified by Spanish and Native American influences. For example, the steep pitch of the Louisiana home was intended originally to cope with the heavy snow fall in Nova Scotia. Homes were of the "shot gun" house design, developed later in the 1800's to facilitate circulation; Spanish moss was often used as insulation in the walls, and mud used to plaster the surface. It was not until the 1930's that Louisiana rural areas were blessed with electricity, and then appliances. By 1950's everyone had relatively modern kitchens with refrigerators, stoves, and ovens. Today all Cajun kitchen are mainstream American, with a plethora of appliances, gadgets, and conveniences.

Because of the simple, no frills kitchen of the traditional Cajun, "one pot meals" were practical and common. It is amazing how much versatility there is in Cajun cooking, when one considers the limitations the chef had in regards to ingredients and utensils. Because of the frugal nature needed to survive in the Bayou country, nothing was ever wasted by Cajuns, including all portions of butchered meats, and stocks and vegetables. This is in contrast to classical French cooking, where it is common to prepare a sauce in a saucepan separate from the main meal, as well as using some vegetable or herb ingredients to flavor the stock only, strained and discarded later.

Today, Louisiana is the largest producer of rice in the United States. Rice cookers are a necessity in any Cajun household, as rice is used in many meals. As said time and time again in Louisiana, no self respecting Cajun would ever serve over- or under-cooked rice.

When did rice come to be such a staple in Louisiana's food ways? Rice was introduced to Louisiana in 1718, largely to substitute the wheat that was unable to prosper as a local crop. By 1850, rice cultivation was well established in Louisiana, especially the wetland areas in south Louisiana. Rice was used to stretch meals for large families, as rice was more plentiful and economical than meats or vegetables.

Red beans and rice was traditionally a Monday dish. This was because Monday was wash day, and the long unattended pot allowed the housewife to use Sunday's ham bone and leave the pot to simmer without having to tend to it. The red and white beans, by the way, were brought in by the original Acadian settlers from Brittany.

Hoppin' John is an economical meal using cowpeas and rice. Cowpeas, also known as field peas or black eyed peas were once used to feed cattle and slaves in the South, and gradually became a common dish for Southerners in general. This easy to grow legume was originally brought to the West Indies from Africa in the early 1700's.

Dirty rice, a hearty Cajun dish, isn't dirty as the name implies, but is actually rice with ground chicken livers, gizzards, and pork meat. As with many Cajun dishes, dirty rice includes cooked onions, green peppers, and plenty of spices.

Jambalaya is a direct descendant of the Spanish paella. Some of the ingredients were unavailable in the New World (such as saffron), and the Louisiana settlers quickly adapted the paella recipe to suit the available resources.

Where did the spices used in Cajun food come from anyway? We all know about Tabasco sauce from McIlhenny's plant on Avery Island, Louisiana. This hot pepper was introduced to Louisiana in the mid 1840's by the veterans of the Mexican-American War who brought back the seeds of this Native American plant. Other hot peppers were indigenous to the New World. The Spanish brought their knowledge of spices, as did the Haitian and African American settlers. Together with the new spices brought by the local Indians, such as the bay leaf, wonderful new combinations of spices and herbs made their way into dishes of the Cajuns and Creoles. Filé is a thickening agent used for gumbos and is actually powdered sassafras leaves. This came from the Choctaw Indians, who came to sell their filé in the French Quarter over 200 years ago. Since okra was available only during the summer months, winter gumbos would call for filé powder as the final thickening agent. Interestingly, any self respecting Cajun or Creole would powder their sassafras leaves only during a full moon. To do so when the moon was less than full would cause a weakening in the powers of the filé. Sassafras has medicinal qualities as well, including its short term ability to quicken metabolism. Think about that the next time you devour a cup of gumbo!

What is the origin of the word "gumbo"? It's actually an African word for okra, which is a native plant from Africa, introduced by the slaves. You can now find this vegetable in gumbo dishes as well as pickled.

Stocks are an essential beginning to many Cajun and Creole soups and sauces; this imparts a hearty base to the dishes. To begin with, one must have bones or seafood heads (such as fish or shrimp). Mirepoix (aromatic vegetables such as carrots, onions, garlic, celery, or tomatoes), spices, and liquid are the remaining ingredients to a stock. The flavors are boiled and extracted from the bones, which are then discarded. A stock can then be thickened by a number of means, including reduction, flour or cornstarch, blood, eggs, butter, or cream. A roux is such a thickening method, which has been developed to perfection by the Cajuns and Creoles.

Any Cajun will tell you, that you must first start off with a roux. "The key to a good dish is the roux," according to Peter Pelegrin of Houma, Louisiana. A roux is flour cooked in oil until it turns anywhere from a light tan to a dark cocoa in color. Lighter roues are recommended for delicate dishes, such as those using seafood. Heartier dishes, such as game or sausage call for the darkest of roues. Regional variation uses cornstarch instead of flour, as seen in south-central Louisiana. Creole dishes may call for butter as the base of a roux instead of oil, and oils can vary too, including vegetable oil, lard, bacon fat, and even duck fat. These variations result in differences in the final taste of the food. The Cajuns, however, never used butter in a roux traditionally. Butter was such a rare commodity, that it was saved for the luxury of buttering a piece of cornmeal bread.

The "Holy Trinity" also varies from region to region. The Holy Trinity refers to three basic vegetables that form the basis for "everything," according to Deany Cheramie. For one group, this is onion, bell pepper, and garlic, cooked and used in most dishes. For another region, the Holy Trinity instead is onion, bell pepper, and celery. The more Spanish-influenced regions are apt to consider onion, bell pepper and tomato as their Holy Trinity. This shows that variation is common even today, when there has been such a blending of cultures.

Sausage is an important food in the Cajun and Creole cuisine. Andouille is a smoked spicy sausage made from pork. Boudin can be white or red, and is made from pork, rice, the "holy Trinity" and spices. Red Boudin uses blood to give it a more hearty color and flavor. The Creole chaurice sausage, a spicy pork sausage with fresh vegetables, evolved from the Spanish chorizo sausage.

Germans arrived in Louisiana in 1690 and brought with them their fine skill in sausage making. The traditional Cajun winter butchering of hogs (called "bucherie") was a lively social occasion. Often, as many as twenty families, totaling 150 people assisted in the butchering process, and feasted on the day's work. It was, after all a full day of work, gossip, and fine food. Every bit of the hog was used, including the brain (for head cheese), entrails (for sausage casings), and organs to make a dish called "debris." Lard was made from the fat of the pig, as was cracklin', a golden brown fat-bit relished as a delicious snack. During the bucherie day, all members would prepare the hog meat for their respective dishes, such as sausage and ham. Everyone would delight in the feasting and festivities of the evening.

It cannot be underestimated the central focus that food and celebration has on the Cajuns and Creoles of today and yesterday.

From birth until death, every event in the life of a Cajun and Creole revolves around food. Whether visiting friends and family, celebrating the birth of a new born child, or mourning the passing of a loved one, every event involves eating. (Folse, 1989).
It is said that a Cajun does not need an excuse for a party, and that every party includes a vast array of food.
While bucheries are no longer necessary, the Cajuns have developed a fine feast called the "Crawfish Boil." This social gathering takes place outside, with picnic tables and newspapers spread over them. The feast is prepared by the men, which is a welcome break for the women. In a boiling pot go pounds of live crawfish, jazzed up with a secret potion of the hottest spices you'll come across. Boiled potatoes, corn on the cob, and andouille sausage round out the meal. Tails are peeled and crawfish heads are sucked by those not faint of heart. It's common to invite nearly every soul known, and the result is a party loaded with family and friends.

Where are the cultures of the Cajuns and Creoles today? Both cultures have persisted as distinct cuisines, despite cultural blending with other American influences. In fact the Creole culture is seen by some as no longer existing; the cuisine has been kept alive (and successfully so) in the kitchens of individuals and restaurants. However, the Creoles as a cultural group assimilated for the most part into the American melting pot over the last one hundred years or so.

The Cajun culture has remained more distinct, and is still thriving in the Bayou country in Louisiana. Gone are the days when school children were slapped for speaking French in the classroom. In fact, public schools are currently hiring teachers from Nova Scotia to teach school children French, as Louisiana enjoys a renewed return to their cultural heritage. And despite the influx of American fast food, freezer convenience foods, and the ubiquitous microwave, Cajun food way is here to stay.

Answer 2

New Orleans (just guessing), I love Cajun food

Answer 3

Ha are you serious? Ok 1. Africa is not a country, it's a continent. 2. There are MANY types of African cuisines. Nigerian food is probably my favourite. Italian, Greek, French, Chinese, Arabic, and Japanese restaurants are common, it doesn't mean they are the only ones. Im sure if you really explore your city you will find African restaurants.

Answer 4

"Cajun" is the slurring of "Acadians", a group of people from Nova Scotia who migrated to New Orleans.

I suspect that their style of cooking is a combination of their french ancestry and the local Louisianaian culture.

Answer 5

originating on Earth in the state of Louisiana, specifically New Orleans..

Answer 6

It came from the creole people, they taught them how to cool and survive in foreign territory. All food that you see in Louisiana is creole food!

Answer 7

in the new orleans.

Answer 8

down south dumb ***