Harriet J. Bauman
Creole Cuisine
Creole cooking i8 different from Cajun cooking even though both Of them use ingredients found in southern Louisiana. In the book
Cajun-Creole Cooking
by Terry Thompson (see Bibliography); he says that both cuisines have “French roots, livened with Spanish spices, inspired by African vegetables and general magic, ‘Caribbeanized’ by West Indian hands, laced with black pepper and pork by the Germans, infiltrated with potatoes by the Irish, blasted with garlic and tomatoes by the Italians, and even touched in some ways by the Swiss, Dutch, Malagans and Malaysians.” (Thompson, p. 8)
The difference between Cajun and Creole cooking is that Cajun cooking is hearty country fare with a very dark roux or type of broth which is the basis for most dishes, along with an extremely spicy flavor, using a lot of animal fat. Creole cooking on the other hand, is citified, using a great deal of cream and butter. The seasoning of food is the key to its authenticity.
Creole cooks use everything they have in their dishes. Leftovers combine to make heavenly new taste sensations, especially when combined with green onions, celery, bell peppers, and parsley.
Coffee is extremely important to Creole cuisine. When combined with chicory, Creole coffee leaves an indescribable taste in a person’s mouth!
Café BrHlot
is served for special occasions. It is coffee served in demitasse Cups after it has been mixed with cinnamon, orange and lemon zest, coriander seeds, bay leaf, cloves, pecan halves, sugar cubes, and two different kinds of brandy.
Café au Lait
is hot black coffee and hot milk served with carmelized sugar.
Rice is an important staple in the Creole kitchen. It forms the base for several typical Creole dishes.
Rice is a main ingredient in Creole
gumbo
a kind of stew made of meat and rice and seasoned after cooking with sassafras leaves or file (ground sassafras leaves). It is used in
jambalaya
, a mixture Of meat or fish, vegetables and rice. Beignets are small cakes of rice combined with vegetables and poultry.
Calas
is a rice patty made with a heavy syrup and eaten for breakfast.
Many dishes have fish as their main ingredient: shellfish, crayfish, oysters, trout, redfish, swordfish, etc.
Bouillabaisse
is a fish chowder containing at least two fish with one being a shellfish. It is highly seasoned, and similar to French
bouillabaisse
made in Marseille or Paris.
Creole pastries come from French pastry: cream puffs,
éclairs, Napoléons, Duchesses, Vol-au-vent
. The best-known pastry from Creole country is petite fours, small cakes, thickly iced, with candied violets or other delicacies on top.
