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Louisiana Creole cuisine (French:cuisine créole,Louisiana Creole:manjê kréyòl,Spanish:cocina criolla) is a style ofcooking originating inLouisiana, United States, which blendsWest African,French,Spanish, andNative American influences,[1][2] as well as influences from the generalcuisine of the Southern United States.
Creole cuisine revolves around influences found in Louisiana from populations present there before its sale to the United States in theLouisiana Purchase of 1803.
The termCreole describes the population of people in French colonial Louisiana which consisted of the descendants of the French and Spanish, and over the years the term grew to include Acadians, Germans, Caribbeans and native-bornslaves of African descent as well as those of mixed racial ancestry.
Creole food is a blend of the various cultures that found their way to Louisiana including French, Spanish, Acadian, Caribbean, West African, German and Native American, among others.[3]
ThePicayune Creole Cook Book[4] has been described as "an authentic and complete account of the Creole kitchen". It was published in 1900 during a time when formerly enslaved African Americans and their descendants weremoving 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 cookbook were compiled by an unknown staffer at theDaily Picayune, who said the recipes came directly from "the old Creole 'mammies'". Since its initial publication it has been released in 16 subsequent editions with few alterations to the original recipes.[5]
Both Creole andCajun cuisine draw from French cooking traditions adapted to Louisiana's resources and influences; however, Creole cuisine is stereotypically considered more "city food" while Cajun cuisine is considered simpler "country food".[6]
Sugar first arrived in Louisiana fromSaint-Domingue in the mid-1700s. Sugarcane could be chewed plain, and it was not until 1795 thatEtienne de Boré mastered the process of crystallizing sugar at his plantation (present-dayAudubon Park) inNew Orleans.
Sugar began to replace cotton as the local cash crop and by 1840 the state was home to over 1,500 sugar mills and by 1860 over 300,000slaves worked in various aspects of sugar production. Slave labor was needed not only in the fields, but also supported agricultural activities in other skilled roles likecarpentry and metalworking. Louisiana accounted for around 90% of all national sugar production in theantebellum era.[9]
Creole cuisine is known for desserts likeking cake,pralines, and sweet dough pie.[10] Regional desserts feature local fruits and nuts, such as berries, figs and pecans.[9] In the early 20th centurycane syrup became a staple ingredient, and is used in recipes forpecan pie,gingerbread, spice cookies, andgateau de sirop, or served plain with pancakes or hotbuttermilk biscuits, similar tomaple syrup in thecuisine of New England.[9]
Deep-frying ofturkeys or oven-roastedturduckens entered southern Louisiana cuisine more recently.[when?]
The following is a partial list of ingredients used in Creole cuisine and some of thestaple ingredients.
Creole folkways include many techniques for preserving meat, some of which are waning due to the availability of refrigeration andmass-produced meat at the grocer. Smoking of meats remains a fairly common practice, but once-common preparations such as turkey orduck confit (preserved in poultry fat, with spices) are now seen even by Acadians as quaint rarities.
Game is still uniformly popular in Creole cooking.
The recent increase ofcatfish farming in theMississippi Delta has increased its usage in Creole cuisine, replacing the more traditional wild-caught trout (the saltwater species) andred fish.
Seafood
Also included in the seafood mix are some so-calledtrash fish that would not sell at market because of their high bone to meat ratio or required complicated cooking methods. These were brought home by fishermen to feed the family. Examples are garfish, black drum also calledgaspergou or justgoo, croaker, and bream.
Poultry
Pork
Beef and dairy
Though parts of the Louisiana where Creole cooking is found are well suited to cattle or dairy farming, beef is not often used in a pre-processed or uniquely Creole form. It is usually prepared fairly simply as chops, stews, or steaks, taking a cue from Texas to the west. Ground beef is used as is traditional throughout the southern US, although seasoned differently.
Dairy farming is not as prevalent as in the past, but there are still some farms in the business. There are unique dairy items produced in Creole cooking such as Creole cream cheese.
Other game meats
Individual
Blended
Cooking bases
Knowing how to make a goodroux is key to Cajun and Creole cooking. The technique was inherited from the French. A roux is "a mixture made from equal parts of fat and flour, used especially to make a sauce or soup thicker."[11] The fat and flour are cooked together on the stovetop until the mixture reaches a certain level of brownness, or darkness.
Creole roux in New Orleans are known to be lighter than Cajun roux and are usually made with butter or bacon fat and flour. But certain Creole dishes use a dark roux.
Dark roux are usually made with oil or bacon fat and flour. The scent of a good roux is so strong that it stays in clothes until they are washed. The scent is so widely recognized in Louisiana that others can tell if someone is making a roux, and often infer that they're making a gumbo.
The secret to making a good gumbo is pairing the roux with the protein, similar to pairing the right wine and protein.[citation needed]
Gumbo—Gumbo is the quintessential stew-like soup of Louisiana. The dish is a Louisiana version of West Africanokra soups which the dish gumbo is named for. The namegumbo is derived from the French term for okra, which entered Louisiana French from West African languages asgombo, from the West Africankilogombo orquingombo.
Okra, often one of the principal ingredients in gumbo recipes, is used as a thickening agent and for its distinct flavor. In modern Louisiana cuisine, okra is not a requirement any longer, so gumbos can be made either with or without okra. Often gumbo that is not made with okra is made with a Louisiana spice calledfilé, made from ground sassafras leaves. Chicken gumbos are often made without okra and made with filé instead.
Tradition holds that a seafood gumbo is more common in summer months when okra is plentiful and a chicken or wild game gumbo in winter months when hunting is common. However, in modern times a variety of gumbo types have become commonplace year-round in Louisiana.
A filé gumbo is thickened with driedsassafras leaves after the stew has finished cooking, a practice borrowed from theChoctaw Indians. The backbone of a gumbo isroux of which there are two variations mainly used. A medium roux, or a dark roux, which is made of flour, toasted in fat oroil until well-browned.
Jambalaya—The only certain thing that can be said about ajambalaya is that it containsrice, some sort of meat (such as chicken or beef) or seafood (such as shrimp or crawfish) and almost anything else. Usually, however, one will find green peppers, onions, celery, tomatoes and hot chili peppers. Anything else is optional.
Jambalaya has its origins in several rice-based dishes well attested in the cuisines of West Africa, Spain, and southern France, especially in the West African dishjollof, the Spanish dishpaella, and the Provençal French dish known asjambalaia. The dish evolved, going through a creolization of Louisiana influences. Jambalaya is a highly seasoned rice casserole.[12]
Shrimp creole—Shrimp creole is a common feature of Creole cuisine in the greater New Orleans area. Its ingredients include shrimp, tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic and cayenne pepper. Classic shrimp creole does not contain a roux, but some cooks may add one. It is an early Creole dish of French and Spanish heritage.[citation needed]
Red beans and rice—Red beans and rice is one of the most common dishes found in New Orleans, cooked in homes and restaurants throughout the area. Red beans arrived with white French Creoles who escaped Haiti during theslave uprising and settled in New Orleans. Red bean stew has a strong Caribbean influence.
Rice and gravy—Rice and gravy dishes are astaple of Creole cuisine[13] and usually include abrown gravy based on pan drippings, which aredeglazed and simmered with extra seasonings and served over steamed or boiled rice. The dish is traditionally made from cheaper cuts of meat and cooked in acast-iron pot, typically for an extended time to let the tough cuts of meat become tender.[14] Beef,[15] pork, chicken or game meats are used for its preparation.[16] Common local varieties includehamburger steak, smotheredrabbit,[17] turkey necks,[18] andchicken fricassee.[19]
Thecrawfish boil is a celebratory event that involves boiling crawfish, potatoes, onions and corn in large pots over propane cookers. Although potatoes, onions and corn are the most frequently served side dishes, many boils include peppers, mushrooms, celery, ravioli, whole garlic cloves and sweet potatoes. The crawfish boil is an event central to both Creole and Cajun cuisines.
Lemons and small muslin bags containing a mixture of bay leaves, mustard seeds, cayenne pepper, and other spices commonly known as "crab boil" or "crawfish boil" are added to the water for seasoning. The results are then dumped onto large, newspaper-draped tables and in some areas covered in Creole spice blends, such as Rex,[20]Zatarain's, Louisiana Fish Fry[21] or Tony Chachere's.[22]Cocktail sauce, mayonnaise andhot sauce are sometimes served as condiments.
The seafood is scooped onto large trays or plates and eaten by hand. During times when crawfish are not abundant, shrimp and crabs are prepared and served in the same manner. Attendees are encouraged to "suck the head" of a crawfish by separating the abdomen of thecrustacean and sucking out the abdominal fat and juices. Often, newcomers to the crawfish boil, or those unfamiliar with the traditions, are jokingly warned "not to eat the dead ones". This comes from the common belief that when live crawfish are boiled, their tails curl beneath themselves, but when dead crawfish are boiled, their tails are straight and limp.[citation needed]
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