Cajun History

Photo: flickr user The Gifted Photographer

Ingredients

Who are the Cajuns?

Preparation

"Cajuns" are the descendants of a group of French people who were exiled from the Acadia region of Nova Scotia for political reasons, starting in 1755. The first Acadians were French Catholics who made a living fishing, farming and trapping. They settled the Acadian Peninsula in modern day Nova Scotia in the early 1600s.

In 1713, Acadia was ceded to Great Britain by France. The Catholic, French-speaking Acadians did not submit well to British rule. The British tried to impose their Protestant religion on the Acadians, who were not receptive. The religious and political persecution continued. Many Acadians secretly left Nova Scotia between 1713 and 1755. They headed west into French territories.

In 1753, the notoriously cruel Charles Lawrence took over as governor of Acadia. In 1755, Lawrence rounded up the French Acadians at gun point and shipped them to ports along the Eastern Seaboard. In all, approximately 10,000 Acadians were arrested, imprisoned and deported over an eight-year period, starting in 1855.

The Protestant, English-speaking British colonists along the East Coast were not receptive to the French Acadians. Therefore, many of the Acadians headed for Louisiana, which was populated largely by French and Spanish people. Fifteen years after the Acadian exile began, approximately 1,500 to 1,600 exiles had settled in Louisiana. This group was later joined by another wave of exiles in

Once in Louisiana, the "Cajuns" found peace, prosperity and an abundance of fish and wildlife to turn into the down-home cooking they are famous for. Their music , dialect and culture are counted as treasures of the South.

Speaking Cajun

If you want to party with the Cajuns, you've got to learn how to talk the talk, I guarantee! Here's a quick tour of Cajun and Creole terms from A to Z.

Andouille (ahn-DWEE or ahn-DOO-wee)- Cajun sausage used as meat in gumbos.

Beignets ( ben-YAYS) - Puffy, deep-fried pastries served in coffee shops.

Boudin ( boo-DAHN ) - A white sausage made with rice, pork and chicken. It can range from mild to hot.

Cafe au Lait - Hot coffee mixed with boiling milk, sometimes flavored with chickory and served with beignets.

Crawfish - The guests of honor at many New Orleans springtime gatherings, often served on newspaper right from huge pots of spicy boiling water with new potatoes and half ears of corn. The local nick name for crawfish is

"mudbugs."

File' ( fee-LAY ) - Powdered sassafras leaves used to thicken gumbo.

Gumbo - A Creole-Cajun soup usually made from a roux, seafood, okra, tomatoes and file ; it can also be made with other ingredients such as chicken or sausage. It is served over rice.

Hurricane Mix - Mix a packet of this powder with some water and booze and relive a truly wicked New Orleans hangover.

Jambalaya - A Cajun rice dish usually made with seafood and sausage; a close cousin of Spanish paella.

King Cake - A sweet roll-like cake made in a ring served during Carnival season. It contains a plastic doll, and the person who finds the doll in his or her piece of cake must provide the king cake on the next occasion.

Mirliton ( merle-a-TON - A tropical, pear-shaped squash popular in Louisiana.

They are often stuffed with cheese, meat or seafood.

Muffuletta (muffa-LETTA) - A sandwich invented in the 1930s by Salvatore Tusa, owner of the Central Grocery on Decatur Street in New Orleans. It is made with thick round Italian bread, imported olive oil, several layers of cheeses, ham and salami, and homemade olive salad.

Oysters Bienville (ben-VILL) - Oysters on the half-shell topped with a rich shrimp, cream and cheese sauce. The dish was invented by "Count"

Arnaud Cazenave, founder of Arnaud's restaurant. A legendary dish.

Po-boy - A sandwich made with long loaves of French bread filled with meat and gravy or fried seafood. It was invented in New Orleans in the 1920s to feed the "poor boys" who couldn't afford a large meal. Po-boys are served either "dressed" with a full range of condiments (usually mayonnaise, lettuce and tomatoes) or "undressed" (plain).

Praline ( PRAW-leen, NOT PRAY-leen) - A confection made of sugar, cream, sugar, butter, pecans and more sugar. Extremely sweet, a few will do!

Remoulade (ree-moo-LAHD) - A spicy sauce usually made of mustards, horseradish, oil, ketchup, chopped vegetables, eggs and seasonings, usually served over boiled shrimp as an appetizer.

Roux (ROO) - A gravy made from browning flour in fat. It is used as a base for many Creole dishes such as gumbo and etouffee.

Shrimp Creole - A sauce of tomatoes and shrimp served over rice.

Tasso - Very heavily smoked beef or pork with a peppery coating, usually used in tidbit-sized cubes to give a jolt to red beans or other pot food.

Zatarain - Local maker of cajun spices and hot mustard. Available in most supermarkets; try their creole mustard- it's wonderful.