TAILIEUCHUNG - Lecture American regional cuisine – Chapter 5: Louisiana’s Cajun and Creole cuisines
Louisiana has been described as a “cultural gumbo” in which each of the different ingredients is identifiable, yet all have blended, affecting each other. A complex blend of Native American, French, Spanish, German, English, African, and Italian influences creates a unique regional people have merged to become the Cajuns and Creoles - the source of Louisiana’s culinary heritage. | Chapter 5 Louisiana’s Cajun and Creole Cuisines American Regional Cuisine Louisiana Background Louisiana is known as “the Pelican State,” and Louisiana’s state bird is the pelican. The pelican has been a symbol of Louisiana since the arrival of early European settlers, who were impressed with the pelican’s generous and nurturing attitude toward its young. Louisiana is also known as the “Bayou State” for the many slow, sluggish, small streams that meander through the lowlands and marshes of the southern section of the state. And the “Creole State” for the people of French and Spanish descent and the culture that they have preserved. The state crustacean is the crawfish and the state reptile is the alligator. The state freshwater fish is the white perch (also called sac-au-lait, or “white crappie”). Louisiana A Cultural Gumbo A blend of Native American, French, Spanish, German, English, African, and Italian influences creates a unique regional culture. These people have merged to become the Cajuns and Creoles . Though each cuisine represents its own style, the sharing and the evolution continue, and Cajun and Creole cooking differences begin to blur. As these two regional cuisines become more difficult to separate, it is important to remember that food in Louisiana represents a celebration of life and comes with the admonishment: Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler! (“Let the Good Times Roll!”) Cajun cooking, earthy and robust, has been described as “country cooking.” It is based on food that is indigenous to the area and features one-pot meals that contain a variety of ingredients gathered from the “swamp-floor pantry.” Creole food began in New Orleans and is considered “city food.” Created by sharing cooking styles and is more sophisticated and complex than Cajun cooking. European Discovery and Settlement Before the age of European exploration, the region was inhabited by thousands of Native Americans. The largest tribes included the Caddo, the Natchez, the Chitimacha, .
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