Po'boys were actually made for poor boys?
Move over Paella, there’s a new rice dish in town! From succulent gator to spicy gumbo,
sink your teeth into these cajun dishes that are a must bite on your bucket list!
This New Orleans sandwich is as delicious as it is famous.
It's the Po'boy and it is made of fresh French bread stuffed with a protein, usually of the
fried seafood variety. Fried shrimp is common, as is fried crawfish, fish, roast beef, or oysters.
New Orlean's lore has a few versions of the po'boy origin story,
but there's one that most regard as true. As history tells it,
Clovis and Benjamin Martin owned a casual restaurant on St. Claude Avenue.
On July 1, 1929, New Orleans streetcar drivers went on strike to protest working conditions.
The Martin brothers just so happened to be former streetcar drivers themselves,
so they knew the conditions and wanted to support the strikers as best they could.
They offered free sandwiches and referred to the strikers as the quote, "poor boys."
While everyone has their own version of a po'boy sandwich, either way,
it's a simple sandwich that's guaranteed to satisfy.
In the world of sausage, Andouille is notable for its heat and versatility.
You may have spotted Andouille sausage in a few of New Orleans' signature dishes
like gumbo and jambalaya. Andouille is the smoky base to those dishes,
and its flavor is nearly unmistakable once you've tried it.
The sausage is often made with pork butt that is flavored with garlic, pepper, and wine.
The sausage is smoked twice — first just the filling, and then the whole sausage.
While it's believed that the Germans brought sausage to the area, over time it blended with the
Black American and French influences of Louisiana to create the Andouille sausage we know today.
Depending on who makes the Andouille, there will be different levels of spices and flavorings.
So whether you're a fan of heat or want a punch of smokiness, there's an Andouille sausage for you.
Rice works with pretty much every type of cuisine under the sun,
but when you add fresh seafood, a salty pork component, some aromatic vegetables,
and more, you have a hearty, warming dish that's one of the keystones of Cajun cuisine known as…
"Jambaya!"
Jambalaya is the Cajun version of West African joloff or Spanish Paella. There was no saffron
in 1700s Louisiana, so there was no possibility to make paella. Instead, locals made the next
best dish they could create. Little did they know it'd be a classic dish consumed centuries later.
Jambalaya should not be stirred. The one-pot dish should instead be turned to keep the rice intact.
It is an extremely versatile dish that's served at all kinds of celebratory affairs.
While there may be a standard set of ingredients, jambalaya is often made with what you have on
hand. There are tons of renditions of jambalaya, but every dish is made in one pot and made with
love. If you've got those things covered, there's no doubt it's going to be delicious.
If you've ever bitten into a beignet, then you already know what's up!
"It's delicious! Of course, it is!"
These fried doughnuts are one of the few sweet
specialties to come out of New Orleans' sea of savory dishes.
While Café du Monde is the most famous place to pick up some beignets while in New Orleans,
there are plenty of other places to grab them. A beignet is a fried
square-shaped fritter that is covered in powdered sugar.
They have a nice delicate crunch on the outside and are soft and chewy on the inside.
They're often topped with powdered sugar but somehow aren't overly sweet.
Beignets are made with a choux pastry, and although they can sometimes be eaten in
savory preparations without powdered sugar, they're most likely eaten as a dessert.
Based on their name, it's no surprise that beignets are of French origin.
Beignets date back to the 16th century when they were quite popular in France. French nuns may
have brought the recipe to New Orleans. You can pay homage to history and grab a bite of these
delicious treats while in New Orleans, or make them yourself if you've got some pastry skills!
If you had to describe etouffee in one word, it'd be nearly impossible.
That's because etouffee is complex in concept and layered in taste.
It is a stew, yes, but it's often eaten with rice and made with
seafood along with rich Cajun flavors. Etoufee means "smothered" in French,
which is perfect to describe this stew that can go with everything from omelets to rice.
It's common to eat this with crawfish, but you might also spot etouffee made with crab or shrimp.
But how exactly is etouffee made? Well, you'll need to start by making a roux from butter and
flour, and then adding your aromatics, broth, seasoning, and seafood, then serving over rice.
Blackened fish is a Cajun favorite that delivers on flavor. That's because blackened fish is first
coated in spice and then literally cooked to the point of nearly burning. There's no right spice
mix to use as a blackened fish coating. So you can adjust the heat and flavor to your liking.
Compared to some other Cajun staples, blackening is a relatively modern development. It is credited
to Paul Prudhomme, a chef who got his start at the famed New Orleans restaurant Commander's Palace.
Prudhomme already had a knack for creating mouth-watering recipes.
But when he opened his own restaurant K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen
and perfected his blackening technique, the desire for Cajun cuisine skyrocketed.
If you're enjoying some authentic Cajun cuisine,
there's a good chance you'll spot some boudin on your plate. Interestingly,
this sausage is actually not sausage at all, according to real Cajun aficionados.
Boudin is made up of pork, spices, onions, and pepper combination
that's cooked with rice and then cased. The main thing that sets it apart from sausage is that
sausage is often cased with raw meat, while boudin is cooked before it's stuffed into a casing.
Several types of boudin are still eaten in France, but they are rather different from
the Cajun version. And while every boudin will have its own consistency, spice blend,
and casing type, you can always count on them to be classically Cajun food!
"I guarantee!"
A good crawfish boil requires a few key components.
You will need more than enough crawfish, large pots, some veggies, and of course the seasoning.
But a crawfish boil is more than just a pot of seafood. It's as much of an event as it
is a dish, and its cultural and historical importance is one that Louisiana holds dear.
The tradition dates back to the 1800s when Acadians, former French Canadians
who settled in Louisiana, adapted recipes meant for more expensive forms of seafood.
They might not be able to afford shrimp or lobster, but with the right seasoning,
they could make the local crawfish taste pretty darn good. As the dish turned up in
more and more restaurants, the seafood and its signature dish were cemented as Cajun staples.
Plenty of brands make a seasoning called Crawfish Boil that is specifically for the dish.
With that, it's quite easy to set the stage for a memorable spring or summer meal.
Gumbo was first referenced in the early 19th century. Although similar to jambalaya,
gumbo is served over rice, not cooked with it. Today, it's common to put seafood,
chicken, or sausage into a gumbo, but back in the old days of the early 20th
century such varied proteins as squirrel, veal, and rabbit were the meats of choice.
There seem to be two categories of gumbos — those thickened with okra,
and those that use a filé. Gumbo's roots run deep and its name comes from a West African language.
It has some commonly used components such as filé, which is a powder made of ground
Sassafras leaves that were first used by the local native American tribe called the Choctaws.
There's one more school of thought that believes a dark roux is the best way to thicken a gumbo.
Whichever method you decide to believe in, gumbo is nearly irresistible
and gives a true feel for just how dynamic Cajun food can be.
While most people wouldn't willingly get close to alligators…
Cajun chefs seem to have no problem with it... as long as it's on a plate. Louisiana Sportsman
explains that in Louisiana, the alligator has been a topic of interest since around 1699
when it first appeared in print. And it's believed to have even older roots,
with some Indigenous tribes enjoying the meat before then.
If you're hesitant about eating alligator, it is said to be really similar to chicken. It's a
little wilder-tasting, but it's often served in the same way — fried, stewed, and even grilled.
If you're actually buying alligator, you'll want to aim for the tail meat,
as it's the best quality meat. Alligators were endangered from overhunting until their population
was replenished in the 1980s. Today, there are plenty of alligator farms, many of which
use the whole alligator for meat and the animal's hide.
In Louisiana, ham is enjoyed in stews, with beans and rice, in gumbo, jambalaya
and so much more. Tasso ham is one of Cajun cuisine's best interpretations of salty pork.
This cured meat is actually made from pork shoulder. So while technically not a ham,
it's cured — so it's got a lot of the same salty qualities.
This meat is a Louisiana specialty, and it brings just the right amount of flavor to
all of the typical Cajun dishes. You don't enjoy tasso quite in the same way as ham,
so don't expect to see it as a ham and cheese sandwich.
Instead, it's a meat that's rendered down and used to give richness to
other dishes like ham and bean soup, collard greens, or shrimp and grits.
Centuries ago, when a pig was butchered, the community prioritized utilizing the whole animal.
Back then, it was done during the winter to produce enough food to provide many meals.
The pork was set aside for traditional Cajun dishes. And of course,
there was no way they could waste the pork skin.
Fry up some pigskin, which goes by the name Grattons or cracklins,
and sprinkle the finished product with some seasoning for a delicious Cajun treat.
It's easy to confuse cracklins with pork rinds, but cracklins often include a piece of meat.
It's more similar to Chicharrónes, which are popular in Latin American
cuisines. This snack is tasty, salty, and hard to stop eating!
"That's nice, that's nice! Oooooooooo!"
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