Cooking with Cajun spice blends can turn an ordinary meal into something exotic. Cajun cooking is a very rustic type of cooking that typically consists of three different pots of predominantly locally available ingredients. It is named after French-speaking Acadian or “Cajun” immigrants deported by the British from Acadia and Canada to the “Acadian” region of Louisiana, USA.

One pot was dedicated to the main dish, steamed rice. The second was dedicated to specially made sauces or some kind of seafood dish. The third included any available and plentiful vegetable.

Chefs call bell peppers, onion, and celery “The Holy Trinity” of Creole and Cajun cuisines. The mixture is like the “mire poix” of traditional French cooking that combines chopped onions, celery, and carrots. Cajuns can add parsley, bay leaf, green onions, and dried cayenne pepper. There are no set rules, and that’s the truth!

Acadian refugees from Nova Scotia adapted their rustic French cuisine to local ingredients such as rice, crawfish, sugar cane, and sassafras. There are many different influences in Cajun, Caribbean, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and African cuisine.

It adapts the use of all cooking methods, such as; broiling, broiling, braising, boiling, frying, etouffee, broiling, injecting, and stewing (fricassee).

Game meat was often relied on and supplemented with rice and corn. Meat keeping is declining due to refrigeration and duck and turkey “confit” is rare and made by only a few Acadians.

Catfish farming in the Mississippi Delta has increased and has nearly replaced the traditional use of trout and redfish. Also traditional, but hardly marketable, were the marlin, the black drum (also called “gaspergou”) or simply “goo”, and the sea bass and sea bream. These were reserved for the family because, for the most part, they were not salable because they contained too many bones.

The use of “Dark roux”, the backbone of gumbo, borrowed by Acadians from French is a thickening agent made from oil or bacon fat and flour, or olive oil and flour (especially in gumbo and Etouffee). The process should take between 15 and 45 minutes, depending on how dark you want the roux. Don’t overcook! You can easily destroy it if you overcook it at too high a temperature or if you don’t stir it continuously. It is very important that it is not overcooked! Reserve your light roux for light, delicate dishes. Acadian broths are generally heavily seasoned, and seafood broth (sometimes made with shrimp heads and crawfish) is unique to Cajun cuisine.

Boudin is a sausage in its own casing and is made with pork, pork liver, rice, garlic, green peppers, and other spices. It is sold by the link or by the pound and is also served in the form of spheres, or balls, the same preparation as Boudin without its natural casing.

The word “Gumbo” originates from West Africa. It is used for its distinctive flavor and as a thickening agent. The classic gumbo is made with chicken and the Cajun sausage called “Andouille”, however, the ingredients vary depending on market availability. Okra is a popular vegetable in gumbo and is often used for thickening.

Jambalaya is a rice-based dish prepared with meat, seafood, or whatever else is available. Add green bell peppers, celery and hot chili peppers and whatever else is available. A light broth can be used to prepare Jambalaya. Some cooks prefer to make Jambalaya because it is usually easier to prepare since the dark roux needed for gumbo can be difficult to master.

Lobster boil contains lobster, potatoes, onions, and corn and is usually cooked on propane stoves. Small muslin bags containing a mixture of bay leaves, mustard seeds, cayenne peppers, and other spices commonly known as “crab boil” or “crawfish boil” that are added to the water for flavor and then they pour out on a table covered with newspaper to absorb some of the excess juice. . Cajun spice blends such as “REX,” “Zatarin’s,” “Louisiana Fish Fry,” or “Tony Chaschere’s” are then poured over it. Cocktail sauces and hot sauces are sometimes used. You are encouraged to “suck on the heads” of the crayfish by separating the abdomen from the crustacean and sucking out the abdominal fat/juices.

A “Bocherie” is a pig-slaughtering feast where every last ounce of the pig is eaten, including the organs and assorted cuts into sausages such as “Boudin.”

“Poutine” is a traditional dinner derived from the French “Beef Bourguignon” but served with a thick sauce from which it derives its name “Poutine”, which means pudding. Served over white rice, the stewed meat is covered in sauce.

Using the right spice mix can often be the difference between a mediocre meal and a great meal. Buying spice mixes is easy. They are available in most Supermarkets and on the Internet.