What    is    the    Difference    Between    Cajun    &    Creole    ??

Yes, there is a difference between Cajun and Creole cooking. Some 
culinarians mistakenly call a dish Cajun when it is actually creole --
and vice versa. So, hopefully we can clear up some of this confusion
with the following explanations:

   Two of the world's most popular regional cuisines, Cajun and Creole,
blend the flavors of fresh ingredients with New Orleans' rich French, 
Spanish and Caribbean heritage. The result is a jazzy, robust taste that
enhances even the most everyday ingredients.
   Creole cooking requires more seasonings and oils, which make its
flavor intense. The dishes are rich in texture and often begin with a
roux, a browned mixture of flour and oil.
   Cajun dishes are Creole's first cousins. Developed by the descendants of 
French-speaking Acadians banished from Nova Scotia in the 1700's, Cajun cuisine
features dishes using simple ingredients that can generally be prepared
in one large pot.Cajun cooking also generally uses plenty of animal --
usually pork -- fat while Creole cooking places its emphasis on butter
and cream.
   Both cuisines make generous use of file' powder, ground dried leaves 
of the sassafras tree. They also frequently make use of the culinary
holy trinity of chopped green peppers, onions and celery.
   Two of the more traditional Cajun dishes include jambalaya and 
coush-coush (a thick cornmeal breakfast dish). Probably the most famous
dish of Creole heritage is Gumbo...


Some    Cajun    &    Creole    Definitions    of    Note...

   * BEIGNET: a light, square doughnut usually dusted with powdered sugar.
   
   * CRAB & SHRIMP BOIL: a local product used to season boiled seafood;
          available in dry or liquid form.

   * CREOLE TOMATOES: highly prized tomatoes, grown locally in rich
          Mississippi River delta soil; incredible flavor and texture.

   * E'TOUFFE'E: a dish such as shrimp or chicken cooked slowly in a
          covered pot with vegetables and seasonings, smothered; stewed.

   * MEUNIE`RE: a popular butter sauce used on seafood.

   *POPCORN RICE: a special type of rice grown in southwest Louisiana
         that has a nutty flavor and smells like popcorn when cooking.

   * ROUX: a cooked mixture of equal parts of fat and flour used as 
        the base of many Cajun and Creole dishes.

   * SHRIMP ESSENCE: the spicy concentrated shrimp broth resulting from
        the dry boil method.

   * ZEST: a thin outer skin of an orange or lemon used as flavoring.
 

Cajun / Creole Recipe Samplers

Click HERE for Cajun/Creole Recipes #1:
Click HERE for Cajun/Creole Recipes #2:
Click HERE for Cajun/Creole Recipes #3:
Click HERE for Cajun/Creole Recipes #4:
Click HERE for Cajun/Creole Recipes #5:

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