Louisiana: The Melting
Pot of Cuisine
As Hill and Barclay has stated in their article
“Acadian to Cajun,” Most people associate blackened, heavily seasoned, and a
seafood predominant dish with Louisiana cuisine and this is because somewhere
in the search for new dishes to serve overzealous tourist, the translation for
traditional Cajun or Creole cuisine was lost. Louisiana is one of the
most diverse areas in America, in more ways than its unique history. Many would argue that Louisiana’s cuisine is
the way it is today because of its complex history, but this isn’t the only
thing that contributed to this diverse ingredient cabinet. It is true that Louisiana has had many
occupants over the years and each occupant has had something different to offer
to the table, building to the cuisine that is used today, but because of the
near tropical climate, many vegetables and spices grow with ease. Louisiana is very different from the rest of
America in a sense that the tradition and scenery are different and the
differences are even shown in the cuisine. Many dishes that are made and spices that are
used serve a purpose, such as, preserving the food to last longer in the warm
and humid climate. The climate and
location has had just as much to offer to the table as the history does. From the beginning Louisiana was bound to be
a different and amazing place.
Many
cultures influence the cuisine of Louisiana, such as, French, Spanish, African,
Irish, German, Acadian, Italian, and Caribbean. Each of these nationalities brought a new
ingredient to the table and each came to Louisiana by boat, arriving in the
Gulf of Mexico to the shores of Louisiana. Before the seventeenth century, the Native
Americans would hunt and harvest the land, reaping the benefits and various
ingredients and game from the woods, bayou, and the sky. 3,500 years later, in 1682, Rene- Robert Cavelier,
Sieur de la Salle, sails down the Mississippi River and claims the territory
and named it Louisiana after Louis the XIV of France. During the seventeenth century the French
settlers learned to improvise their cooking from home based off of the ingredients
that were available. Roux, which is
slowly cooked fat and flour, is a classical French technique that is still used
today. In the early years of the eighteenth century,
slaves were introduced to land to work on plantations. The slaves brought hot peppers, coffee, yams,
melons, and okra with them. The French
settlers, at first tried to eradicate all African influence from the cuisine,
but were then captives to the flavors of these ingredients and the quality it
brought to the dishes. In the 1720’s
German, Italian, and Irish settlers came to Louisiana, bringing black pepper,
sausage, tomato based sauces, garlic, delicately crafted cream based sauces,
and potatoes with them. In 1762, after
the Treaty of Paris was signed the French gave Louisiana to the Spaniards. The influences that they brought with them
were seafood and rice predominant dishes.
By this time period the cabinet of most settlers housed more exotic
ingredients than ever before. As Hill
and Barclay state in their article “From Acadian to Cajun,” The average
household kitchen was stocked with bell peppers, celery, garlic, mushrooms,
onions (especially green onions, often called shallots), cane syrup, honey,
arugula, bay leaves, horseradish, oregano, garlic, parsley, collard greens,
mustard greens, turnips, basil, rosemary, thyme, Andouille sausage, black
pepper, potatoes, yams, okra, rice, fish, cinnamon, cloves, paprika, nutmeg,
and a variety of other fresh spices. Many
of the inhabitants of Louisiana found that they never needed to use dried
spices because many of the spices could be easily grown in a small herb garden
and fresh spices gave a more fragrant and flavorful aspect to the dish. Most recipes call for something called the
“holy trinity,” which is a little bundle of bell peppers, celery, and green
onions. These vegetables give off an
amazing smell and a harmony of subtle flavors in many soups, boils, and roast.
When
it comes to Louisiana’s cuisine, there two very important terms that appear
quite often, Creole and Cajun, these are two similar, yet still different
styles of cooking. Marcelle Bienvenu,
Carl A. Brasseaux, and Ryan A. Brasseaux’s article “Stir the Pot: The History
of Cajun Cuisine” and Connie Eble’s article titled “Creole in Louisiana” separates
the difference between the two terms. Cajun
is term used to describe settlers of Acadian descent. In1765, Acadians were chased out of Nova
Scotia by the British and they fled to Louisiana in hopes finding a safe place
with the French settlers. Unfortunately,
the Spanish rule had taken over Louisiana, but the welcomed the Acadians with
open arms and the Acadians settled to the country side. Cajun cooking is considered to be more homey
and country style cooking. Meals are
made with fresh game and easily attainable ingredients and they are easily
prepared and are made to last longer in the warm and humid climate. On the other hand, Creole is a term used to
describe dignified settlers of European descent and the name is also bared to
their servants and slaves. Many slaves
found the term incredibly insulting, until they were told that the term means
“to be born in the New World.” Many
settlers who considered themselves as Creole lived in the cities and have a
more refined taste. Their ingredient
cabinet housed more exotic ingredients, such as, tomatoes and they loved their
delicately seasoned sauces. An easy way to tell the difference between Creole
and Cajun dishes is to check for exotic ingredients and to see how long and
difficult it is to prepare the meal. For
instance both styles of cooking have a recipe for Jambalaya. My family makes Jambalaya and we always uses
tomatoes, lemons, and an extensive list of ingredients and it takes a few hours
to prepare this dish, therefore the recipe is a Creole recipe.
Louisiana’s
cuisine has always been well seasoned, but today most people think of blackened
meat, heavily seasoned with black pepper, cayenne pepper, and Tabasco sauce or
many rely on the fast food chain named “Popeye’s” be an accurate representation
of Cajun food. It would be absolutely
ludicrous to rely on a fast food chain to accurately represent Cajun food
because Cajun food takes a while to prepare and could not be accurately displayed
as fast food. Traditional food of
Louisiana has changed to meet the needs of busy tourist and to become a
franchise. Even though the cuisine has
changed through the years, many traditions remain the same, as proven by Kevin
McCaffrey in his documentary of the traditions that are still used today. Many of those who live in Louisiana still
hunt for dinner, whether they catch a catfish or a squirrel, more times than
not, they are going to incorporate their catch into dinner. Many dishes are one pot dishes, such as,
Jambalaya and Gumbo, where all of the ingredients are tossed into one pot and
that is all that’s used. It is
considered family tradition to use cast iron pots and pans that are passed from
one generation to the next. Families
still believe in catching dinner that day and making dinner happen with the
ingredients they have on hand, while still being a part of the community and
celebrating the culture.
Louisiana’s
music, dialect, and cuisine can be easily considered a microcosm of the United
States of America because the music, dialect, and cuisine are a blending of
many cultures. The music is such a
unique mixture of culture that it has its own genre and the dialect is very
different from that of the rest of America.
This is what makes Louisiana different from any other state. Even though
America is seen as a melting pot, Louisiana is impressive more so, simply
because the is much more culture in a much smaller space. In this small place, there are many different
landscapes, such as, the bayou. The bayou is unlike any other place on
earth. The climate is even different
than many other places. It is very hot and humid, but there are still subtle
weather changes in the different seasons.
Louisiana is a prime example of the benefit of combining cultures. The history and the cultures played a big
part in shaping the cuisine, but Louisiana was going to always be a great place
from the beginning, simply because it is in an optimal location and provides
many habitats for a various number of plants and animals. Louisiana is the birthing place of Creole and
Cajun cooking styles and these styles of cooking are unique and versatile, like
the settlers that came before us and the state itself. There is no other place
like Louisiana and there are no other dishes like the ones served there.
Works Cited
Barclay, Gwen,
and Hill, Madalene. "From Acadian To Cajun." The Herbarist 74
(2008): 68-73. Academic Search Complete. JSTOR Web. 23 Sept. 2014.
Bienvenu, Marcelle, Carl
A. Brasseaux, and Ryan A. Brasseaux. Stir the Pot: The History of Cajun Cuisine.
New York: Hippocrene, 2005. Google Scholar Web. 27 Octo. 2014
Eble, Connie
“Creole in Louisiana.” 73.2 pp. 39-53 South
Atlantic Modern Language Association (Spring, 2008) JSTOR Web. 29 Octo.
2014
Leistner, Colette Guidry. French and Acadian Influences
upon the Cajun Cuisine of Southwest Louisiana. 1986. Google Scholar Web. 29
Octo. 2014
McCaffrey, Kevin. No One Went Hungry: Cajun Food Traditions
Today. Vimeo. 2009. Web. 1 Nov. 2014.
