What is Cajun Cuisine?
History of Cajun
Cajuns are considered the descendants of the Acadian exiles. This ethnic group is rooted from Acadian settlers after the Great Expulsion during the French and Indian War in 1754 to 1763. This ethnic group occupied the state of Louisiana, USA.. Since they have started to settle in Louisiana, the Cajuns have developed their own culture, language, music and cuisine. Nowadays, the Cajuns are known to have greatly influenced the state of Louisiana.

Louisiana’s Cajun Cuisine
There are two different cuisines in the state of Louisiana, one is the Creole cuisine and the other is the Cajun cuisine. Each of these cuisines has their own distinct taste and style of cooking. Cajun cuisine is known to use of wild game, vegetation and herbs. Due to their Acadian origin, Cajuns are associated with Indians from whom they have learned how to utilize products from the woods and lakes. Cajun cooking is unique because they commonly use black iron pots to cook their food. Cajun cuisine is rich in flavor and the taste of each of their recipe varies that it becomes difficult to identify the ingredients used. One of the specialties of the Cajuns is their Cajun seasoning which makes their cuisine stand out from the rest. Cajun recipe usually have a distinct pungent smell.

A typical Cajun meal consists of soup made from fresh ingredients like carrot, tomatoes, potatoes cooked with meat, fish or chicken. Cajun cuisine is mostly composed of different kinds of bread. Some are made from wheat, corn and grain. Although the Cajuns love to eat bread, rice is still their staple food due to the scarcity of wheat in most places in Louisiana. Aside from that, they also have different kinds of syrup like maple, molasses and honey. Fruits like apples, peaches and pears are also commonly used to make Cajun cuisine.

A famous Cajun cuisine is called the “Maque Choux” which means “like cabbage”. This recipe is made from corn, bell pepper sugar, tomato and oil. Another famous Cajun recipe is the “Chaudière” which means iron pot. This is also known as chowder. Not only is it healthy but also very flavorful. Chowder is one of the recipes that make cuisine of Louisiana very different form the rest. In addition, Cajuns are also famous for making different delicacies like smoked sausages, boudin, chaudin, tasso and chaurice.

Making the Cajun Seasoning
The rich flavor of Cajun recipes is due to their unique seasoning. The Cajun seasoning is made from different herbs and spices. The Cajun seasoning requires spices like chili, onion, garlic, pepper, paprika and cayenne. It also requires herbs like basil, oregano, celery seeds, ground rosemary, dried thyme and cumin. Since Cajun cuisine are usually spicy, jalapeno peppers are also added in making their seasoning. The spices should be mixed well in bowl together with the herbs and a pinch of salt. Cajun seasoning can be stored as long as it is kept in a tight container. This seasoning can be used on all of Cajun recipes.