Creole Vs. Cajun Cuisine, And Where to Get It!

A reader asked about this, oh, awhile ago, and with Spring Break 2009 winding down, I finally have time to catch up on some topics I’ve been neglecting (thanks, Michelle). Don’t say USA Travel Guide never gets to your questions. We may not get to them quickly, but we get to them

As a devout Food Network and Good Eats fan, the notion of clarifying a culinary conundrum is like the proverbial slow pitch, especially when the case in question is “Creole vs. Cajun“. Not only are we big fans of both cuisines, we never pass up an opportunity to talk New Orleans.

As the “vs.” no doubt gave away, Cajun cuisine and Creole cuisine are not the same thing, not even a little bit. They share some ingredients, they even share some dishes, but when you consider that German Schnitzel and Texas Chicken Fried Steak are basically the same thing, you’ll realize that a dish, or a cuisine, is more than the ingredients that made it.

Both Creole and Cajun cuisine vary greatly in history, attitude, style and flavor. Let’s take a closer look:

Creole Cuisine

Although this is a sloppy generalization, Creole cuisine is easily distinguished from Cajun, because it is fancy-pants food. A native Louisianan cuisine centering around New Orleans, Creole dishes draw inspiration from a vast catalog of influences, notably French, but also including Spanish, Caribbean, Mediterranean, African, Southern American, and even Italian and Irish.

The tradition of Creole cuisine arose from the kitchens of Louisiana aristocrats who favored the European style of preparation as much for the couth-ness as the flavor. Essentially, there was an upscale, refined twist to local ingredients and cuisines for the sake of appearances. This is no criticism, however, as Creole cuisine is the birthplace of many a beloved New Orleans dish.

Seafood bar regular Oysters Rockefeller is distinctly Creole, as is the Monday afternoon favorite Red Beans & Rice. Mardi Gras staple King Cake has Creole inspirations, as does the dangerously-delicious Bananas Foster.

As it is inherently city food, restaurants that specialize in Creole cuisine are easy to find in New Orleans. In fact, most of New Orleans’s famous restaurants are primarily Creole restaurants. Here’s a list from our friends at About.com. For something really special, choose Commander’s Palace. My wife went here for her 21^st birthday and she vaguely remembers enjoying it.

Cajun Cuisine

Cajun cuisine, on the other hand, is a rustic, countrified cuisine with roots in Canada of all places. Immigrants from a French-speaking area of Canada and New England known as Acadia were forced southerly by the British to what is now the Acadiana region of Louisiana. Acadians, or Cajuns (say it out loud and you’ll hear it), then adapted the local ingredients of the Gulf Coast to their traditional French preparations, resulting in a loose bank of dishes that we call Cajun cuisine.

Because this was happening in much the same region as Creole in New Orleans, the two naturally share some similarities, but it is the distinct place of origin, one the city and one the country, that makes the two so different.

At the heart of Cajun cooking is the roux, which is essentially flour cooked in fat (in this case oil or bacon fat) to varying levels of doneness. Cajuns are known for favoring the dark roux in particular, which is the roux taken to its furthest not-ruined state and which forms the base of any good gumbo.

Famous Cajun dishes include gumbo, obviously, although chicken is a more traditional ingredient than the popular seafood gumbos of today. Other dishes include Boudin sausage, jambalaya, dirty rice, andouille sausage, and even the crawfish bake. Despite modern trends, Cajun cuisine is not overly spicy, purists preferring an understated kick over insanity stews that many modern cooks produce.

Where to get it? Well, that’s tricky. Cajun food is home food. Even in New Orleans it’s rare to see it gussied up for some restaurant menu, and why would you want that anyway? You can find it however.

For Cajun restaurants in New Orleans, why not got with the best? Emeril’s, the debut restaurant of New Orleans celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse, offers both Cajun and Creole dishes, and if they know the difference anywhere, it’s here.

See, I told you I could go on about the food questions!

Hotels in New Orleans are always easy, because we know what we like. 

• Chateau LeMoyne - Historic, Stately, Welcoming
• Holiday Inn French Quarter - Refreshing, Friendly, Inexpensive

Get out there and try them both!

Related Posts

No related posts.