Cajun and Louisiana Creole Cuisine – The Similarities and Differences in These 2 Louisiana Cuisines

The differences of Cajun and Creole cooking styles are often confused with those outside of the state of Louisiana. There are many similarities of the kitchens, most of which stem from the similar backgrounds of the two. But there is one food ingredient that is responsible for most of the difference between the two cooking styles.

In early 17th century France, people from Provence immigrated to Nova Scotia (then called Acadia), Canada, and established a colony. In the mid-18th century, the British position in Canada grew stronger, forcing the people of Nova Scotia to emigrate once more. This time they settled in Louisiana.

Other people from different parts of France had previously immigrated to Louisiana in the 17th century. The Novia Scotia people settled in the swamp country west of New Orleans. The pronunciation of their name, Acadians, was eventually shortened to Cadiens, which later morphed into Cajuns.

Cajun cooking was based on local ingredients, and his ideas came from rural French home cooking, with some Canadian influences. From this, a style of cooking emerged among the Cajun people that was distinguished from the “high end” French cuisine that was already established in New Orleans (Creole cuisine). The less sophisticated cuisine of the Cajuns was wilder, bolder and more spicy.

Creole cuisine arose from wealthy families who could afford to have a cook. These cooks were often African slaves from West Africa, and later free black Haitian settlers. A blend of spicy home cooking from Africa, combined with French cooking techniques, as well as Sicilian, Mexican, Native American and Spanish influences, all combined to form Creole food. In New Orleans today, the Sicilians were responsible for the “red sauce” of Creole cuisine, the spicy tomato sauce, and the muffaletta, which is a kind of large sandwich.

Cajun cooking resembles Creole cooking in many ways. This is because both Louisiana cuisines use many of the same foods. Crayfish, oysters, shrimp, okra, pork, zucchini, eggplant, and tomatoes are just a few of the food items common to the two cuisines. What further separates the two cuisines is that the Cajuns use significant amounts of hot chili peppers, especially in dried and ground forms.

Some of the Cajun dishes include gumbo, etouffee, po’ boy sandwiches, and jambalaya. All of these creations incorporate at least some hot chili.

Cayenne pepper is the most popular of the chili peppers in Cajun cooking and is used in some form in virtually all Cajun dishes. The most famous chili of the Cajuns is the Tabasco. The Tobasco pepper is the only South American pepper grown on a large scale for commercial use in the United States.