Cajun food offers diners a rich banquet of flavors. Many assume that Cajun automatically means spicy, but that isn’t always the case. Cajun cuisine features a mixture of flavors that range from mild to super hot. You get to choose whether you want it to be tangy or fire-engine blazing.
Did You Know that Poor People Invented Cajun Cuisine?
Cajun cooking began in the families of the Louisiana poor. Most of the original settlers in the state lived off the land and their food consisted of what they were able to grow or catch in the surrounding waterways. Thus, the basis of most Cajun cooking is vegetables and seafood. The other essential component for these Cajun meals was rice–a staple that allowed families to feed a large number of people with minimal expense. To this day, these same basic components are what make up Cajun cuisine.
The Holy Trinity
In almost all Cajun dishes, you will find the “holy trinity” of vegetables–celery, onion, and bell pepper. These three key ingredients are the trifecta of Cajun food and give each dish a special zip.
Popular Cajun Specialties
Some of the popular Louisiana-style seafood dishes are Jambalaya, shrimp or crawfish étouffée, and shrimp/crawfish boil.
Jambalaya is a stew that uses spicy Andouille sausage as the base and combines it with shellfish, rice, and of course, pepper, onions, and celery. Taste it once, and you will never forget this saucy dish.
Shrimp or crawfish étouffée is a smothered (stove-top braised) seafood dish served over rice. Tangy and slightly spicy.
Shrimp/crawfish boil is also a favorite served at outdoor barbeques and family picnics across Louisiana and Texas. It combines shrimp and/or crawfish (also known in Louisiana as “mudbugs) with cobs of corn, red potatoes, onions, and crawfish boil.
Put Some Flavor in Your Life
88% of Americans indicate that one of the biggest reasons they eat fish and seafood is because it’s good for their health. When you can get tasty seafood combined in a mouth-watering concoction of Louisiana spices, you will benefit not only your health but also your taste buds!
So order some cajun food and find out how the taste of Louisiana makes you want to shout, “Let the good times roll!”
