Cajun cuisine

Cajun cuisine originates from the French-speaking Acadian immigrants in Louisiana, USA. It is characterized by the use of hot seasoning such as cayenne pepper. Some Cajun foods are "blackened" by coating them in special spices and grilling, frying or charring them until dark.

To paraphrase an old saying, Cajuns live to eat. Outside Louisiana the distinctions between Cajun and Creole cuisine have been blurred. However, Creole dishes tend to be more continental, although using local produce. Cajun victuals[?] are more spicy hot and tend to be more hearty. But outside Louisiana the distinctions are academic.

High on the list of favorites of Cajun cooking are the stews called gumbos[?], a word brought to Louisiana from Africa. It means okra, one of the principal ingredients of a gumbo. (The word came into Caribbean Spanish as guingambó, which is now the word for okra in Puerto Rico.) A filé gumbo is made with sassafras leaves, a practice borrowed from the Choctaw Indians. The backbone of a gumbo is the roux[?], made with fat, not butter as with the French. The classic gumbo is made with chicken and the Cajun sausage called andouille[?]. But the ingredients all depend on what's available at the moment.

Another Cajun classic is the variey of jambalayas[?] that is available at any time. The only certain thing that can be said about them is that they contain rice and almost anything else. Usually, however, you'll find green peppers, onions, celery and hot peppers. Anything else is optional.

And, of course, to sop up the juices what would a meal be without cornbread? The corn pone[?] one hears about in the South is derived from an Algonquin dish made with corn (maize) flour, salt and water.

In most cases, whatever is found on a Cajun table is what a Cajun found in the field or water a short time before and a short distance away, like crawfish or gator or rabbit or chicken. The cuisine is lively, hearty and plentiful.

Some famous Cajun dishes:

• blackened catfish[?]
• deep fried turkey[?]
• Jambalaya[?]

See also cooking