Cajun Cuisine: The Heart of the Culinary World

In the classic Disney movie, The Princess and the Frog, we open up with a scene of Tiana and her father working on a steaming, enchanting pot of gumbo. Although this scene may just be interpreted to some viewers as an introduction to Tiana's passion for cooking, for Cajuns, it meant so much more. Cajun cuisine is a special branch of the international inner-workings of food traditions that has been around since the 1700s. Even though Cajun cuisine may be rarely represented in the media, it is the most family-oriented and authentic of the many cuisines around the world. Further, we will be discussing the complex influences to how Cajun food came to be as well as its modern influence in all of our homes and restaurants.

The First Dish

In the mid 1700s, Cajun cuisine was formed from French and Spanish colonists, and West African influences. While French colonists were in Southern Canada for a period of time, after the French and Indian war they were relocated to parts of Louisiana. This is where the heart of Cajun cuisine would find a home and grow for generations to come. The first dish to become popularized amongst the population would be gumbo, originating from French techniques and West African flavors. Even the name stems from the West African translation of, okra. Gumbo was a substantial dish during this time period, offering a protein and vegetable heavy dish during the winter that could sustain a population. Gumbo’s base is a tumultuous stirred mixture of oil and flour, called a dark roux. The roux is what gives gumbo its classic rich, dark, and nutty flavor. The technique of a roux was brought over by the French settlers that would do the same technique, with butter instead of oil, in all sorts of sauces and soups; it is even used in a bechamel sauce, which is the base to the popular macaroni and cheese. The heartiness of the gumbo, however, is derived from the West African, Spanish, and even Native American roots. As French settlers interacted with enslaved Africans and Native Americans, they learned the Louisiana landscape including vegetables that have been life-sustaining for the originators of the land. These vegetables developed into what is now called the “Holy Trinity of Creole Cuisine,” including celery, bell peppers, and onions. Furthermore, they contributed knowledge of the local seafood and animals in the region that have been included in different varieties of gumbo, some including crawfish, shrimp, and crab in seafood gumbo or sausage and chicken in a more filling version. The Spanish then brought over knowledge of spices that have given gumbo the depth of flavor and complexity it has today. As well as that, rice was added to complete a balanced meal by adding grains.

All of these influences and factors of cooking techniques, proteins, vegetables, and spices have been mixed and matched to form new Cajun dishes such as jambalaya, red beans and rice, and etouffee. However, none of these could have been developed without the origin of the mother-dish, gumbo.

Cajun Food Today

Today, Cajun food has been developed and merged with other techniques and flavors in modern restaurants as well as sticking to the traditional methods in others. An example of Cajun food, modernized, is the highly rated New Orleans restaurant, Compere Lapin, owned by Nina Compton. Compton carries her Caribbean roots into her restaurant filled with twists on Cajun classics. From a twist on classic hush puppies that features a cilantro crema to a duck confit dirty rice, Compton showcases the “holy trinity” in new and inventive ways that forecast a promising future for Cajun ingredients and techniques in new ways for years to come. Comparatively, some restaurants stick to the traditional route of Cajun food and keep it in its purest form.

The most recognized lies in the heart of New Orleans, called Commander's Palace. Commander's Palace has received multiple James Beard Awards for their highly decorated chefs and outstanding execution since the 80’s and has been noted as the best Cajun restaurant in the world. Started in 1893, the atmosphere of Commander's Palace has stayed true to the form of the southern hospitality and gourmet service that is only right to be served alongside such quality cuisine. The staff is always dressed in stark white aprons and the occasional chef will come for tableside service in a tall chef’s hat that makes you feel more confident that the meal you’re about to have will be fantastic. However, what makes Commander's Palace truly special is their authenticity to their roots that leaves the older generations feeling transported back to times when they made these dishes themselves in the presence of their family. The restaurant serves all of the classics including the previously discussed gumbo, pork chop with collard greens, and a creole-inspored shrimp curry. Along with that, their infamous Turtle Soup au Sherry is a traditional Louisiana dish that people, including myself, travel many miles just to taste. I personally enjoyed the Prosecco Poached Blue Crab legs as one of the sides and thought that it showed off how Cajun food is truly about simple techniques with complex flavors at its core.

Restaurants aside, Cajun food has continued to thrive under many generations and will continue to do so due to being a cuisine built upon an emphasis on tradition and family. For myself, growing up in a Cajun-loving household, food became a love language for special occasions including Christmas eve where gumbo is a popular item on the menu almost always. Even without a holiday coming around, if a wave of the smell of gumbo or jambalaya breaks across my face, I knew my mom had a good day and that was her way of showing it. Standing next to a pot of gumbo with your mom opens up a portal to all the generations that came before you that did the same thing you are doing now. Coming from a long line of culinary practiced women, my mom would tell stories of standing next to her grandma stirring flour and oil for hours until it became the dark roux that served as the beating heart for gumbo. These traditions are what keeps large families together and food serves as the number one bonder of large families in the south. From great uncles, to second cousins, every Cajun family has the one collective recipe that everyone uses that connects us all even if we are hours and ages apart. Overall, Cajun cuisine has always been a cuisine built on tradition and family. From settlers and natives coming together to survive during long months, to passing down stories of great grandmas teaching their daughters how to make a classic gumbo, Cajun cuisine is full of heart, passion, and most importantly, love.