Cajun Cuisine - A Guide to Cajun Cooking

Andouille (ahn DO ee) - A spicy (not usually hot), smoked country sausage, usually stuffed with large pieces of pork, used in gumbo and other Cajun dishes.

Beignet (ben YAY) - Sweet, square-shaped doughnuts, minus the hole, sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Bisque (bisk) - A rich, roux-based soup, often served a side bowl of rice to add to the bisque.

Boucherie (boo sha REE) - Traditionally, a cooperative slaughtering with each member furnishing his share of the animals (usually pigs) and receiving his share of the meat.

Boudin (BOO dan) - Hot, spicy pork (sometimes including giblets, especially liver) mixed with onions, cooked rice, herbs, and stuffed in sausage casing. Sold pre-cooked and warm at meat markets, etc. To eat boudin, cut the casing and squeeze the stuffing into your mouth.

Boulette (BOO let) - A cornbread-type mixture, usually seasoned with onion and pepper and often containing crawfish tails, formed into balls and fried until crispy and golden on the outside.

Cafe Au Lait (caf AY oh LAY) - Hot chicory-blend coffee blended (usually half and half) with hot milk.

Cafe Brulot (caf AY broo LOH) - Hot coffee, spices, orange peel, and liqueurs blended in a chafing dish, set aflame, and served as a dramatic after-dinner drink.

Cajun (CAY jun) - Slang for Acadians, the French speaking people who migrated to South Louisiana from Nova Scotia in the eighteenth century. The term now applies to the people, the culture, and the cooking.

Cayenne (KI en) - A hot pepper that is dried and used to season many Louisiana dishes.

Chaudin (SHOW dan) - Pork stomach stuffed with ground pork meat, onions, bell peppers and seasonings.

Chicory (chick-ory) - An herb whose roots are dried, ground, and roasted; used to flavor coffee.

Cochon de lait (koh SHON duh lay) - "suckling pig"; a pig roast with the whole hog slowly roasted over an open flame.

Couche couche (koosh koosh) - A cornmeal cereal, usually eaten with milk or syrup.

Court bouillon (coo bee YAN) - A thick, rich, spicy fish stew or soup made with tomatoes, onions and sometimes mixed vegetables, served over rice.

Cracklins - Fried strips of pork skin, often including pieces of meat and fat. Snack food.

Crappie (CROP ee) - Also called sac-a-lait (SOCK a lay), a large bream-like food fish.

Crawfish - Sometimes spelled "crayfish" but always pronounced crawfish. Resembling toy lobsters, these little critters are known locally as "mudbugs" because they live in the mud of freshwater streams. They are served in a variety of ways, including boiled, fried, and in etouffee.

Creole (CREE ol) - From the Spanish word “criollo,” or “child of the colonies.” Originally, the French and Spanish sophisticated city or plantation dwellers who either migrated from Europe or were born in Louisiana . Later expanded to describe slaves born in the colonies, rather than in Africa . Today in South Louisiana , it often refers to Creoles of Color, members of the black French-speaking community, who have a unique culture and music (Zydeco). The term also includes a type of cuisine and a style of architecture.

Dirty Rice - Chicken giblets (gizzards or livers) sautéed with cooked rice, bell peppers, onion, celery, and seasonings.

Dressed - When referring to a sandwich or Po-Boy this means add mayonnaise, lettuce, and tomatoes.

Etoufée (eh too fay) - A Cajun word for sautéing. Meat or seafood, cooked with a roux and the Cajun "Holy Trinity" (onions, celery, and bell pepper). Usually served with rice.

File (FEE lay) - Ground sassafras leaves, added at the end of cooking, used to season and thicken, among other things, gumbo. Introduced to the French by local Indian tribes.

Grillades (GREE yads) - Squares of broiled beef or veal. Grillades and grits is a popular breakfast, especially in New Orleans .

Grits - Coarsely ground wheat or corn, cooked down in water and served with salt and butter. Somewhat similar in appearance to mashed potatoes, but the taste is closer to corn.

Gumbo (gum-boe) - A Cajun/Creole delicacy of South Louisiana , reflecting its rich history: Wild game or seafood (from the Acadians), thickened with okra (from the Africans), file (from the Indians), and roux (from the French). A thick, robust soup with thousands of variations, including chicken and andouille, shrimp, seafood gumbos.

Hushpuppies - A cornbread-type mixture, formed into balls and fried until crispy and golden on the outside.

Jambalaya (jam buh LY uh) - Chef’s choice of meats (ham, sausage, shrimp, chicken, tasso) and chopped vegetables (tomatoes, celery, onions) cooked with seasonings, and combined with rice.

King Cake (Mardi Gras) - A ring-shaped pastry, decorated with colored sugar in the traditional Mardi Gras colors of purple, green, and gold (representing justice, faith, and power), with a small plastic (or wooden) baby hidden inside the cake: Custom requires that the person who gets the baby in his slice of cake must provide the next King Cake.

Mirliton (MELe taun) - A hard-shelled vegetable pear with edible innards, it is cooked like squash and stuffed with either ham or shrimp and spicy dressing.

Maque Choux (mock shoo) - Cooked corn combined with tomato, peppers, caramelized onion, and spices. Meat or seafood may be added to serve as the main dish.

Muffuletta (muff a LATE ta) - This huge sandwich is made up of thick layers of several different types of Italian meats, cheeses, and a layer of olive salad. Served on special, seeded Muffuletta bread (but French bread will do).

Pain Perdue - French toast (called “lost bread” in New Orleans ). Left over bread fried in a sweetened egg mixture and served with powdered sugar or syrup.

Paunce (pawnce) - Stuffed calf stomach.

Praline (PRAW leen) - Essentially, a candy made of pecans and sugar.

Po’Boy (poor boy) - A New Orleans -style sandwich (fried oysters, roast beef and gravy, soft-shell crab) served on crispy-crusted loaf bread (French bread). In Cajun Country, the best ones are stuffed with fresh, fried seafood.

Red Beans & Rice - Kidney beans cooked in seasonings and spices, usually with chunks of sausage and ham, and served over a bed of rice. Because this dish is easy to prepare and convenient to eat, it is traditionally served on Monday (laundry day).

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

Rice Dressing - Cooked rice sautéed with ground beef, bell peppers, onion, celery, and seasonings.

Roux (roo) - Flour cooked in fat (butter, oil or lard) until it is brown with a nut-like flavor and aroma. Used as a thickening, coloring, flavoring base for pot foods, like gumbos, gravies, sauces, and soups. May be light-gold (for fish and other delicate ingredients) to very dark for hearty dishes.

Sauce Piquant (PEE kant or pee CAHNT) - A fiery-hot, thick, reddish gravy made with roux and tomatoes, combined with alligator, chicken, or tasso, highly seasoned with herbs and peppers, and simmered for hours.

Tasso (TASS o) - A strip of smoked, seasoned pork or beef. Similar in substance to beef jerky, but used to flavor pot food (gumbo, jambalaya, beans, etc.) or thinly sliced and simmered in a sauce for rice or pasta.

Trinity - Cajun Trinity: Onions, bell peppers and celery, the three most often used ingredients in Cajun/Creole cooking. Holy Trinity: The Cajun Trinity with garlic added.

Yam - A sweet-potato-like, orange-colored vegetable. Opelousas is Cajun Country’s “Yam Capital.”

Recipe, Links,Articles

Listen to Free Cajun Music
from Louisiana's KBON go to their website and click it on it's free.
http://www.kbon.com

Cajun Vs. Creole
So you have heard the term Cajun and Creole. This article tells you the difference, so you can talk to someone from Louisiana and not not get corrected.

Donated by Richard Holbert.