ANDOUILLE [AHN-doo ee]: A garlicky
smoked Cajun sausage made from beef and pork, which is sliced into
rounds, sauteed and served with red beans, greens, gumbo and other
pot food.
BANANAS FOSTER: A
dish made of bananas and rum, flamed and served over vanilla ice
cream. It was created at Brennan's Restaurant to honor Owen Brennan's
friend, Dick Foster, who in the 1950s was vice chairman of the Vice
Committee in charge of cleaning up the French Quarter.
BEIGNETS [BEN-yays]: Puffy
squares of deep-fried dough dusted with powdered sugar. Traditional
fare at New Orleans coffee houses, most notably Cafe du Monde in the
French Quarter. They taste better than they sound, but be warned: You
may end up with more sugar on your clothes than on the French
doughnuts.
BLACKENED REDFISH:
A dish made by searing seasoned redfish fillets in a smoking hot
skillet popularized by Chef Paul Prudhomme. As the dish's fame grew
in the late 1980s, stiff limits had to be placed on redfish catches
to prevent the disappearance of the species from Gulf Coast waters.
These limits inspired creative chefs to start "blackening" everything
from chicken to veal in order to continue to cash in on the
craze.
BOUDIN [BOO-dan]: A Cajun
white sausage made with rice, ground pork, chicken and vegetables,
ranging from mild to hot.
CAFÉ AU LAIT [KAH-FAY oh-lay]: Hot
coffee mixed with boiling milk; not "cafe ole" as The New York Times
once wrote.
CAJUN/CREOLE
COOKING: Yes, there is a difference between
these two cuisines. Cajun food is the earthy, robust creation of
fishermen and farmers in the bayou country of southwest Louisiana,
which remains the only place you'll find Cajun food that has not been
refined and urbanized to within an inch of its life for restaurant
customers. Creole food is more citified, often a shade more delicate,
in both preparation and presentation. Creole food - the cuisine of
New Orleans and the Mississippi River region - also enjoys Caribbean
influences not found in Cajun food. But Creole cooks often use the
same meats, seafoods and seasonings used in the bayou country, and
the fullness of the flavors are similar. For more information, check
out our history of Cajun/Creole cookery.
CHICORY: A plant
whose leaves are used in salads and whose roots are dried, roasted
and ground for
mixing with coffee for thickness and special flavor. The chicory was
originally added to stretch the coffee beans
but it also gives the coffee a little bite. New Orleans coffee
blenders are known for incorporating chicory into
their dark, rich coffees. Non-natives might find the taste to be a
bit bitter.
COURTBOUILLON [COO-bee yawn]: A
spicy tomato sauce usually served over fish.
CRAWFISH:
The guests of honor at many New Orleans springtime gatherings, served
on back issues of The Times-Picayune right from the huge cauldrons of
spicy boiling water they share with new potatoes and half ears of
corn. Crusty French bread is served on the side. You can impress the
natives by pinching the tails and sucking the heads (although,
admittedly, this is an acquired taste). You may know these local
delicacies as "crayfish," but no New Orleanian would ever use that
term. The local nickname is "mudbugs."
CREOLE MUSTARD:
It's a little more pungent than American mustard because the mustard
seeds are coarsely ground rather than pulverized.
CREOLE TOMATOES:
Vine-ripened tomatoes grown in southeast Louisiana. The large
tomatoes are known for their eccentric shapes and pinker-than-usual
color. They are available from late spring through summer.
ÉTOUFFÉE: A dish
in which seafood or meat (shrimp and crawfish etouffee are local
favorites) is smothered with seasonings and herbs. It is similar to
stewing but with less water.
FILÉ [FEE-lay] : Powdered
sassafras leaves used to thicken gumbo.
GUMBO [GUHM-boh: A
Creole-Cajun soup usually made from a roux, seafood, okra, tomatoes
and filé; it can also be made with other ingredients such as chicken
or sausage. It is served over rice.
HOT SAUCE: You can
buy it at your grocery store back home, but it won't have the same
sentimental value and you won't find it in gallon containers. The
grandaddy is Tabasco, which comes from Cajun country, but there are
many other blends.
HURRICANE MIX: Mix
a packet of this powder with some water and booze and relive a truly
great New Orleans hangover.
JAMBALAYA [JUM-buh li yuh]: A Cajun
rice dish usually made with seafood and sausage; a close cousin of a
Spanish paella.
KING CAKE: A
sweetroll-like cake made in a ring served during Carnival season
(Jan. 6 - Epiphany or "Kings' Day" - through Mardi Gras). It contains
a plastic doll, and the person who finds the doll in his or her piece
of cake must provide the king cake on the next occasion. For more
information, see the king cake history.
MAKIN' GROCERIES:
Going grocery shopping.
MIRLITON: [MER-lee tawn] A tropical, pear-shaped squash
popular in Louisiana. They are often stuffed with cheese, meat or
seafood.