Cajun and Jambalaya History

The Cajuns are an ethnic group consisting of the descendants of Acadian exiles and other peoples with whom the Acadians eventually
intermarried on the semitropical frontier, including Louisianans of Spanish, German, and French Creole heritage. Today, the Cajuns
make up a significant portion of south Louisiana's population, and have exerted an enormous impact on the state's culture.

The Acadians (French: Acadians) are the descendants of the 17th-century French colonists who settled in Acadia (located on the northern
portion of Canada’s east coast). As a result of a lost war with Britain, the Acadians were exiles from their land. During The Great
Expulsion of 1755, a large percentage of Acadians were driven out of Acadia by the British; many later resettled in Louisiana, where they
became known as Cajuns.

Cajun Food originates from the French-speaking Acadian or "Cajun" immigrants in Louisiana. It is what could be called a rustic food, made of locally available ingredients, and preparation is simple. An authentic Cajun meal is usually a three-pot affair, with one pot dedicated to the main dish, one dedicated to white rice, skillet cornbread, or some other grain dish, and the third containing whatever vegetable is plentiful or available as a side dish.

There is a common misconception outside of South Louisiana that Cajun food is hot and spicy. Authentic Cajun food is well seasoned, and will usually have a bit of a "kick" but will not be eye-wateringly hot. The Cajun cook does not seek to overpower the dish with simple heat — this is done by the diner at the table if they so wish.

Cajun cuisine is sometimes confused with Creole cuisine. Although somewhat similar, there are very distinct differences, and many outside of Louisiana do not make the distinction. The term Creole is most commonly used to designate several somewhat distinct New Orleans food cultures.

ANDOUILLE (ahn-doo-ee) – Cajun sausage, traditionally made from stuffing a seasoned mixture of pork intestines and stomach into a sausage casing and smoking heavily. Today most people mistakenly refer to any smoked sausage as andouille.

BAYOU (bi-yoo) – The slow moving streams crisscrossing Louisiana

BISQUE (bis-k) – A thick, roux-based shellfish soup, usually made with crawfish, shrimp or oysters.

BOUCHERIE (boo-sh-ree) – Literally means “butcher.” Traditionally, a boucherie was a communal butchering that involved several families contributing animals, typically pigs, to be slaughtered. Each family helps to process the meat, like sausage, ham, boudin, ponse, chops, and head cheese. Each family gets to take home their share of the yield. This process was done in late fall to provide meat throughout the cold months. A portion of the meat was cooked and eaten during the boucherie, along with dancing and singing provided an opportunity for socializing. Refrigeration has made the boucherie unnecessary, but the practice still occurs on a limited basis, and largely for social purposes.

BOUDIN (boo-danh, the “N” is not pronounced) – A type of sausage in which a sausage casing is stuffed with a seasoned dressing made with pork and rice.

BOUDINLAYA™ – An original Trademarked creation of Rice & Roux. Boudinlaya™ is like boudin but it is made with jambalaya. It is made with Rice & Roux’s own chicken and sausage jambalaya that is mix with a few other “SECRET” ingredients, and then it is stuff into a boudin or sausage casing.

CAJUN MICROWAVE – A home-made outdoor appliance used to roast meat very slowly. The microwave part is a joke because food cooked in a Cajun Microwave is typically cooked any where from 4 to 8 hours at very low temperatures. It is construction of a large wooden box that is lined with tin or some other sheet metal. The top of the lid is recessed, into which a fire is built and maintained until the meat is cooked. It functions under the same principle as a dutch oven.

COUCHE-COUCHE (koosh-koosh) – A popular breakfast food, made by frying cornmeal and topping it with milk and/or cane syrup.

COCHON De LAIT (co-shon / deh / lay) – Literally means “pig of milk.” A Cajun tradition where family and friends get together to roast a young suckling pig. The roasting method varies, but is typically done over and open pit, or in more recent years, in a “Cajun Microwave.”

COURTBOUILLON (coo-bee-yon) – A thick rich fish stew made with tomatoes, onions and sometimes mixed vegetables and served over rice. Gasper goo is an excellent fish for this dish.

CRAWFISH (craw-fish) – Sometimes called a “mud bug,” sometimes spelled “crayfish”, but always pronounced “crawfish.” This is a small crustacean resemble a tiny lobster. They are used in a wide variety of south Louisiana dishes. They are indigenous to the freshwater swamps and bayous and are also farm raised in large shallow cultivated ponds, or flooded rice fields.

CREOLE – A person of European Spanish and African descent. Creole cooking most commonly differs from Cajun cooking in that Creoles tend to use much more tomatoes and less roux. Creole cooking is typically associated more with New Orleans.

ETOUFFEE’ (ay-too-fay) – Literally to “smother.” A method of cooking in which seafood or meat is smothered in vegetables and their own juices to create a gravy that is served over rice. The most common meat used is crawfish to create a crawfish etouffee’.

FILE (fee-lay) – Ground leaves of the sassafras tree that is used as a flavoring and thickening agent in gumbo. The roots of the sassafras tree are used to make root beer.

FRICASSE (free-kah-say) – A stew made by browning then removing meat from the pan, making a roux with the pan drippings, and then returning meat to simmer in the thick gravy.

GRILLADES (gree-yahds) – Pork cut up into small pieces and marinated in Cajun seasoning for several days. The meet is cooked by browning in a heavy pot, then sautéing onions and peppers, and finally cooking it down in liquid to make a dark gravy that is served over rice.

GUMBO – A thick soup prepared with seafood or game, countless spices, and vegetables and served over rice.

JAMBALAYA (jum-bo-lie-ya) – A Cajun rice-based one-pot meal that combines any variety of seafood or meat with vegetables.

JOIE de VIVRE (zhwa-da-veev) – Literally “Joy of Life” or “Joy of Living.” A Cajun attitude towards the joy lifeLagniappe (lan-yap) This word is Cajun for "something extra," like the extra donut in a baker's dozen. An unexpected nice surprise.

LAGNIAPPE (lan-yap) – This is Cajun word for "something extra," like the extra donut in a baker's dozen. An unexpected nice surprise.

LAISSEZ les BON TEMPS ROULER (lay-zay lay bon ton rule-ay ) – Literally “Let the good times roll!” A Cajun attitude towards life.

MAQUE CHOU (mock-shoo) – A dish made by scraping young corn off the cob and smothering the kernels in tomatoes, onion, and spices.

PAIN PERDU (pan-per-doo) – Cajun French toast (literal translation is "Lost Bread")

RED BEANS AND RICE – Red beans simmered for hours with seasonings and smoked sausage then served over steamed rice. Traditionally made on Monday (laundry day) so that the dish could cook, unattended, all day while the wash was being done.

REMOULADE (row-moo-lad) – A cold dressing made with oil, Creole mustard, chopped green onion, paprika and any combination of spices, served on chilled, boiled seafood.

ROUX (roo) – A mixture of flour and fat (butter, oil or lard), cooked until it is brown with a nutlike flavor and aroma, then used as a base for sauces and soups.

PIROGUE (pee-row) – A small Cajun boat similar to a canoe. Originally made from a dug-out cypress log.

SAUCE PIQUANTE (sauce-pee-kawnt) – Literally “spicy sauce.” A thick, sharp-flavored sauce made with roux and tomatoes, highly seasoned with herbs and peppers, and simmered for hours.

TASSO (tah-so) – Seasoned and smoke cured ham, typically cut into about 2 to 3 inch wide strips. Typically used as an added flavor similar to smoked sausage, but is also cooked by itself in a brown gravy and served over rice.

TURDUCKEN – A unique Cajun dish where a turkey is stuffed with a duck, which is stuffed with a chicken. The chicken is then stuffed with a Cajun dressings and all is seasoned.

CAJUN  HUMOR

YOU MIGHT BE A CAJUN IF...

· You pass up a chance to meet the president to go to the Crawfish Festival in Breaux Bridge.

· Your children's favorite bedtime story begins with, "First you make a roux..."

· You're asked in school to name the four seasons and you reply, "Onyons, celery, bell peppers, and garlic."

· You think the "Fab Four" are "Paul Prudhomme, John Folse, Justin Wilson, and Tony Chachere".

· You sit down to eat boiled crawfish and someone says, "Don't eat the dead ones" and you know what they mean.

· You can look at a rice field and can tell how much gravey it'll take for that much rice.

· Your high school's rendition of the national anthem begins with, "Jambalaya, crawfish pie, filet gumbo..."

· You use two or more pirogues to cover your newly planted tomatoes to protect them from a late frost.

· Your school teaches the four basic food groups as boiled seafood, broiled seafood, fried seafood and beer.

· Your mama says every morning, "Well, I got the rice cooking, what we gonna have for dinner?"

· You get a disapproving look from your wife and describe it as "She passed me a pair of eyes..."