Cajun & Creole
©2007 Clove Garden
When the French controled Louisiana they established New Orleans as the regional capital. Wealthy merchants and government officials brought their chefs from France, establishing a sauce based cuisine as close to their homeland cuisine as they could manage using native ingredients.
To this day New Orleans has maintained a reputation for fine dining and French culture - and will continue to unless it has to be abandoned, a very clear possibility in view of sinking land and rising sealevel.
Cajun (Acadian)
In 1755 the British expelled French settlers living in Acadie, Nova Scotia. This fairly large population was forced to travel south to Louisiana where there was already a strong French population, though the area was under Spanish control at the time.
These Acadians were settled in a wild swampy area completely unlike either France or Nova Scotia, and having little money or posessions they made do. In doing so they created a new cuisine blending French and African influences with local ingredients and simple cooking methods.
This cuisine has recently come into prominance, lead by the national popularity of Blackened Redfish and is now being refined by local chefs, taking care not to lose sight of its origins and under the watchful eye of the Acadiana Chapter of the American Culinary Federation.
Cajun cuisine is based on the "holy trinity" of Onions, Celery and Bell Peppers, along roux, dark to very dark. Chickens, catfish, pigs, shrimp, and, of course crawfish provide important main ingredients.