Creoles are descendants of the settlers in colonial Louisiana, especially New Orleans. Before Louisiana became a part of the United States in 1803, it was colonized for more than a century, first by France and then by Spain. The Creoles were the American-born offspring of these European settlers. Some Creoles are people of mixed race who also have West African and Native American ancestry. The Creoles, most of whom originally spoke a dialect of French, created a sophisticated and cosmopolitan society in colonial New Orleans.[3][4][5]
Creole cuisine is a fusion, unique to the New Orleans area, of French, Spanish, West African, and Native American cuisine. It was also influenced by later immigrants from Germany, Italy (particularly Sicily), and other locations. Like French food, it sometimes makes use of rich sauces and complex preparation techniques. Creole dishes often include onions, bell peppers, celery, tomatoes, and okra.[6][7][8]
Cajun cuisine is also based partly on French cuisine and also makes use of local ingredients such as onions, bell peppers, and celery. It tends to be hearty, rustic fare, complex in flavor but easier to prepare. The Cajuns are descendants of the Acadians, French-Canadian colonists who were expelled from the Maritimes by the British. Some of the Acadians settled in rural areas of southern Louisiana in the 1760s and 1770s. The Cajuns spoke their dialect of French.[9][10][11] Cajun cuisine uses less fish and more shellfish, pork, and game than Creole cuisine. While not always spicy, Cajun food is known for its unique use of many seasonings, including garlic, hot peppers, and filé powder.[6][7][8]
Seafood plays an important part in the cuisine of New Orleans. The city is located where the Mississippi River flows into the Gulf of Mexico, so its residents have access to a rich variety of both saltwater and freshwater fish and shellfish.[15]
Blackened redfish—a redfish filet, coated with a mixture of seasonings and flash-fried in a red hot cast-iron skillet; the skin of the fish is charred black, while the inside is moist and tender[17][18]
Calas—dumplings composed primarily of cooked rice, yeast, sugar, eggs, and flour; the resulting batter is deep-fried,[23] traditionally a breakfast dish, served with coffee or cafe au lait[24]
Couche-Couche—a fried cornmeal dish that is traditionally eaten for breakfast; ingredients such as eggs, raisins, milk, or syrup are sometimes added[23]
Dirty rice—a traditional Cajun and Creole dish made from white rice that gets a "dirty" color from being cooked with small pieces of chicken liver or giblets, green bell pepper, celery, and onion,[25] and spiced with cayenne and black pepper.[a]
Eggs Sardou—poached eggs with artichoke bottoms, creamed spinach, and hollandaise sauce, sometimes with other ingredients such as anchovies or chopped ham[26]
Étouffée—crawfish (or sometimes other shellfish such as shrimp or crabs) cooked using a technique called smothering, with roux, Cajun spices, and other ingredients, and served with rice[27]
Oysters Bienville—a traditional dish in New Orleans cuisine,[34] it consists of filled, baked oysters; ingredients include shrimp, mushrooms, bell peppers, sherry, a roux with butter, Parmesan cheese and other lighter cheese, as well as bread crumbs[35]
Oysters Rockefeller—oysters on the half-shell that have been topped with parsley and other green herbs, a rich butter sauce, and bread crumbs, and then baked or broiled[23]
Pistolette—either of two bread-based dishes in Louisiana cuisine: one is a stuffed and fried bread roll (sometimes called stuffed pistolettes) in the Cajun areas around Lafayette, the other is a type of submarine shaped bread about half the size of a baguette that is popular in New Orleans for Vietnamese bánh mì and other sandwiches[37]
Po' boy—a submarine sandwich on a wide piece of French bread; popular fillings include fried seafood such as shrimp, oysters, or catfish, and the more traditional roast beef with brown gravy; usually topped with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, and remoulade[38]
Red beans and rice—kidney beans cooked with Cajun spices, ham, and vegetables such as bell peppers, onions, and celery, served together with white rice[23][40]
Rice and gravy—small pieces of beef, or sometimes chicken or pork, simmered for a long time with onions, peppers, and other seasonings, and served over white rice[41]
Shrimp Creole—cooked shrimp in a mixture of tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, and celery, spiced with hot pepper sauce and/or cayenne-based seasoning, and served over steamed or boiled white rice[42]
Turtle soup—a thick soup made with turtle meat and Creole spices; the local species are now protected so turtle meat from other states is used; alternatively, a mock turtle soup is made with veal or other meat[43]
Yaka mein— a soup of stewed beef in broth with noodles,[23] garnished with half a hard-boiled egg and chopped green onions, with Creole seasonings
Bananas Foster—a dessert made from bananas and vanilla ice cream, with a sauce made from butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, dark rum, and banana liqueur; often served as a flambé; created in 1951 by Paul Blangé at Brennan's restaurant in New Orleans[44]
Beignet—a square-shaped pastry made with deep-fried dough and topped with powdered sugar.[45]
Bread pudding—a sweet dessert made from bread, milk, eggs, and sugar, often served warm and topped with whiskey sauce, rum sauce, or caramel sauce[46]
Doberge cake—a cake with many thin layers, separated with dessert pudding or custard[23] (often half chocolate and half lemon), and with a glazed outer frosting[47]
Hubig's Pies—a brand of mass-produced glazed turnovers of fried dough with various fruit fillings;[23][48] the company was founded in 1922; no pies have been made since the factory was destroyed in a fire in 2012
Huckabuck—also known as a hucklebuck; a dessert made by taking any of various sweet, fruit-flavored drinks and freezing them in a cup; sometimes sold by street vendors[49]
King cake—a cake made of braided brioche dough laced with cinnamon, with purple, green, and gold frosting, and a small plastic baby hidden inside; eaten during Mardi Gras season[23][50]
Praline—a candy made with pecans, brown and white sugar, butter, and cream[51]
Sno-ball—shaved ice with flavored syrup, served in a cup with a straw; similar to a snow cone but with ice that is more finely ground and fluffy, which absorbs the syrup better[52]
NOLA beer—made by the New Orleans Lager and Ale brewing company[62]
Peychaud's Bitters—a brand of bitters (a bitter-tasting, alcoholic ingredient in some cocktails) first made in New Orleans in the 1830s[63]
Ramos gin fizz—also known as a New Orleans fizz; a large, frothy cocktail invented in New Orleans in the 1880s; ingredients include gin, lemon juice, lime juice, egg white, sugar, cream, soda water, and orange flower water[64]
Leidenheimer Baking Company—established in 1896, the bakery is best known for its French bread, used for po'boy sandwiches, and other local breads such as muffuletta and pistolettes[72]
Zatarain's—a food and spice company based in New Orleans, it produces Cajun and Creole cuisine related food items[73]
The Picayune Creole Cook Book[77] has been described as "an authentic and complete account of the Creole kitchen". It was published in 1900 during a time when former slaves and their descendants were moving North. Local newspapers warned that when the last of the "race of Creole cooks" left New Orleans "the secrets of the Louisiana Kitchen" would be lost.
The recipes published in the cook book were compiled by an unknown staffer at the Daily Picayune, who said the recipes came directly from "the old Creole 'mammies'". Since its publication it has been released in sixteen subsequent editions with very little alteration to the original recipes.[78]
^Bernard, Shane K. (December 8, 2010). "Creoles"Archived 2016-01-18 at the Wayback Machine, KnowLA: Encyclopedia of Louisiana History, Culture, and Community. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
^Ewell, Barbara, et al. "Kate Chopin – Creoles", Loyola University New Orleans. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
^ abBeggs, Cindy; Gipson, Bridget; Shaw, Sherrie. "Cajun and Creole Cuisine", University of West Florida. Archived from the original on April 29, 2001. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
^Bernard, Shane K. (July 26, 2011). "Cajuns"Archived 2016-01-19 at the Wayback Machine, KnowLA: Encyclopedia of Louisiana History, Culture, and Community. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
^Fertel, Rien T. (2013). ""Everybody Seemed Willing to Help":The Picayune Creole Cook Book as Battleground, 1900-2008". The Larder: Food Studies Methods from the American South. The University of Georgia Press.
