“Arcadiana” also called as Cajun area spreads over a large area from the swamps in the bayous straight up to the city limits of New Orleans. They say the most interesting and robust Cajun food comes from the quaint towns in south Louisiana.
As you travel down the swampy wet lands of the Atchafalaya Basin and its bayous which is the land of crawfish, the cuisine gets milder but no less delicious. Despite the fact that Cajun cuisine tastes good it doesn’t necessarily look appealing. It’s simply hearty old-style peasant recipes. A lot of it is one pot foos such as stew type cuisine. The fancy food that is in restaurants that is categorized as Cajun goes against the practices of Cajun food aficionados.
In cooking circles, in general terms Creole cuisine is “City” cooking based on French Traditions but influenced by the Spanish, African and also the other ethnic regions that make up Creole nationalities. Cajun cuisine is thought to be “Peasant” food of the Arcadians traditionally and later turning into Cajun. Cajun food developed as the Cajuns learned to live in the swamps of Southern Louisiana. By circumstance, creole cuisine is more delicate and subtler while Cajun food is more spicy and pungent.
One of the critical factors that makes the two types of food different is the fact that both groups took different paths once they arrived here in the new world. Cajuns isolated themselves in swamp lands and kept as such while Creoles were integrated into city life.
The french quarter in New Orleans eventually became the Creole Sector. What happened is many other Americans began to live in and construct their homes and businesses and Canal Street which was the main dividing line was the thoroughfare for the Creole French Quarters and the rest of the City and its citizens. Therefore Creole food became cosmopolitan and blended with the many cultures that settled in New Orleans. This lent a kind of sophistication to Creole cuisine that the Cajun cuisine did not have.
Curious about the different types of Southern peas, like black eyed peas and butter beans then go to www.soul-food-recipes.net.