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3/3/06

4:23 PM

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What You Didnt Know

about
By Katie Ayoub

Cajun
4. Much ado about roux. You know what a roux is, right? A mixture of flour and fat used as a thickening agent for soups and sauces.The heart of Cajun cooking, say the experts, is a rich brown roux, which derives its full flavor from the drippings of pork, beef fat, lard (rendered and clarified pork fat) or vegetable oil.This brown roux is the basis for such Cajun dishes as an touffe (ay-too-FAY), which is a thick, spicy stew spiked with crawfish and vegetables served over white rice. 5. Quick! Rustle up a Cajun pantry. If youre looking to experiment with Cajun, pick and choose from these Cajun staples, use a cast-iron pot, and voila! Alligator meat, crawfish (or crayfish), oysters, shrimp, boudin (sausage made of pork, rice and onion), okra, andouille (spicy smoked sausage made with tripe and pork chitterlings), red beans, corn.And, of course, the basics: Cajun seasonings, the holy trinity of Cajun cookinggreen pepper, onion and celeryand white rice. 6. Is it properly soppable? If youre making Cajun brown gravy, the criteria by which Louisiana folks will judge is whether the gravy is properly soppable or not. Cajun brown gravy is thick, able to be successfully sopped, then scooped up by a hunk of French bread. Cajun gravy is sometimes called liquid meat, made from the drippings of meat cooked over a slow flame. Its favorite partner in Cajun cuisine is white rice.

and your textbook might not tell you

1. First, a definition. A Cajun (KAY-juhn) person is of French-Canadian descent, born or living along the bayous, marshes and prairies of southern Louisiana. Cajun cooking is a country-style combination of French and Southern cuisines. Common ingredients include fil powder (made from ground, dried leaves of the sassafras tree), green peppers, onions and celery, and pork fat. Cajun seasoning is also famousboth for its heat and spice combination, which usually involves garlic, onion, black pepper, mustard, chiles and celery. 2. Is Cajun the same as Creole? No. Both styles use fresh, local ingredients, but the preparation marks the difference.Although the traditions share the same geography, Creole cooking uses more butter and cream; Cajun favors a dark roux and pork fat. While Cajun is robust, Creole tends to be more refined. Cajun often means spicy, Creole often means tomato-based. Gumbo, a thick stew featuring okra, tomatoes and meat, is a famous Creole dish. 3. Cajuns not just a food. Cajun is a venerable culture, rich with its unique history, music and dialect. Cajuns are descendants of French Acadians, who the British forced out of their homeland in Nova Scotia, Canada, in 1785. They settled in Louisiana, and these Acadians, through the fog of translations from French to Native American to English, became know as Cajuns.

Executive chef Shane Cheshire of First Street Grille in Jacksonville Beach, Fla., showcases both Creole and Cajun cuisine in his alligator gumbo with Cajun dirty rice.

7. What makes dirty rice dirty? Dirty rice is a Cajun specialty that combines white rice with chopped or ground chicken livers and gizzards, onion and seasonings.The ground giblets give the rice a dirty appearance. 8. You might be Cajun ifyou think the Fab Four ...are Paul Prudhomme, John Folse, Justin Wilson and A.J. Smith.Taken from an anonymous source, this has resonance in Cajun cuisine. Prudhomme is an icon in Louisiana cooking, known for, among other things, making famous the cooking method of blackening, or cooking on a red-hot iron skillet to seal in juices and crisp the exterior.The popular Chef Paul Prudhomme's Magic Seasoning Blends are distributed nation-

wide. Folse, CEC, AAC, is one of Louisianas greatest ambassadors, introducing the world to its cuisines. He has written many cookbooks, including The Encyclopedia of Cajun & Creole Cuisine (Chef John Folse & Company Publishing, 2004). The late Justin Wilson was a Cajun humorist, cookbook author and host of cooking shows on PBS. He also put out 27 albums themed with both Cajun music and folklore. And Smith is another Cajun king of comedy, famous for weaving funny tales about Cajuns trying to enter mainstream America. 9. A Cajun love song When the taste changes with every bite and the last bite is as good as the first, thats Cajun. Paul Prudhomme

www.acfchefs.org

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