There are few things that compare to eating deviled Cajun eggs after Sunday church to tide you over till supper time. Most people get Cajun and creole terms mixed up and sometimes believe the two are simply interchangeable. Other people think that something with any red spice on them, like the eggs above, are real examples of what true Cajun cooking is like.
To really understand all the differences you should first understand some background on each style of cooking and its evolution over time. Most real Cajuns cooking revolves around using what ever people had and being happy about eating it. When French settlers landed in Louisiana from Canada they had very little money or supplies. They looked around and tried to use the food sources mother nature provided.
The term Creole is a general reference to the first settlers of the Louisiana, New Orleans area. These were mostly wealthy families that had their own chefs from other more famous cities. Because many of the food types they normally used were not available the then governor asked his personal chefs to teach them how to use indigenous animals and native plants in their cooking.
There is an odd expression in New Orleans that is, a creole feeds one family with three birds and a Cajuns feeds three families with one bird. Most creoles prefer to use flour and butter and as the base for their sauces and soups. Most Cajuns prefer to use flour and lard for the base of most of their sauces and soups.
A good example is traditional gumbo. Most creole gumbo has a tomato like base with butter and flour. The final result is that it is more like a soup when finished. Most Cajuns use a Roux base for their gumbo made from pork lard and flour. The resulting dish ends up being much more like a thick stew than a soup.
The creole type of cooking is like the urban cooking many people were accustom to. While they often used many spices such as pepper, red pepper, allspice and mustard as common examples; they would also incorporate potatoes, garlic and tomatoes in their cooking. There was greater emphasis on using cream with butter in the various sauces they made.
Even though many people believe that most Cajuns prefer their food super hot, this is not really true. They do season their food with allspice, chili peppers and white or black pepper than is normal. Many of their core meals are based on what animals are caught in the nearby ocean or swamps. From crayfish and clams to exotic forms of grains, game and fish.
So when you do wonder why Cajun eggs are Cajun or something else on a restaurant menus for that matter, generally it is likely the addition of some hot sauce or course ground pepper that makes it this. What it should really require is a thick seafood stew with some onions, potatoes, celery and garlic floating inside it. Only then could the typical person from Louisiana think yes, just like being home.
To really understand all the differences you should first understand some background on each style of cooking and its evolution over time. Most real Cajuns cooking revolves around using what ever people had and being happy about eating it. When French settlers landed in Louisiana from Canada they had very little money or supplies. They looked around and tried to use the food sources mother nature provided.
The term Creole is a general reference to the first settlers of the Louisiana, New Orleans area. These were mostly wealthy families that had their own chefs from other more famous cities. Because many of the food types they normally used were not available the then governor asked his personal chefs to teach them how to use indigenous animals and native plants in their cooking.
There is an odd expression in New Orleans that is, a creole feeds one family with three birds and a Cajuns feeds three families with one bird. Most creoles prefer to use flour and butter and as the base for their sauces and soups. Most Cajuns prefer to use flour and lard for the base of most of their sauces and soups.
A good example is traditional gumbo. Most creole gumbo has a tomato like base with butter and flour. The final result is that it is more like a soup when finished. Most Cajuns use a Roux base for their gumbo made from pork lard and flour. The resulting dish ends up being much more like a thick stew than a soup.
The creole type of cooking is like the urban cooking many people were accustom to. While they often used many spices such as pepper, red pepper, allspice and mustard as common examples; they would also incorporate potatoes, garlic and tomatoes in their cooking. There was greater emphasis on using cream with butter in the various sauces they made.
Even though many people believe that most Cajuns prefer their food super hot, this is not really true. They do season their food with allspice, chili peppers and white or black pepper than is normal. Many of their core meals are based on what animals are caught in the nearby ocean or swamps. From crayfish and clams to exotic forms of grains, game and fish.
So when you do wonder why Cajun eggs are Cajun or something else on a restaurant menus for that matter, generally it is likely the addition of some hot sauce or course ground pepper that makes it this. What it should really require is a thick seafood stew with some onions, potatoes, celery and garlic floating inside it. Only then could the typical person from Louisiana think yes, just like being home.
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