Cajun vs. Creole, pt. 2 - King Creole

by Sarah J. Gim, Posted Feb 24th 2006 @ 7:25PM

We've already looked at Cajun cuisine, so now we want to find out how Creole cooking is different.

The word "Creole" is derived from the Spanish word "Criollo," a term used in the 1700s by the Spanish governing the New Orleans. Criollos were people of European descent living in the area. "Creole" came to imply refinement and elegance.

While Cajun cooking is a fusion of primarily rustic, provincial French and American Southern cooking, Creole cuisine additionally draws influences from the Caribbean, Africa, and Spain, using more classical European methods and techniques with locally available ingredients. Like the original implication of the word, Creole is a slightly more sophisticated style of food than Cajun.

Like Cajun cooking, Creole chefs use filé powder as well as the "Holy trinity" of bell peppers, celery, and onions. Creole recipes also use butter, cream and tomatoes. Famous Creole recipes that are shared with Cajun cooking are jambalaya and gumbo. However, unique to Creoles are oysters Rockefeller, bananas Foster, shrimp rémoulade, and bread pudding.

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[photo: LA Times]

Filed Under: Ingredients, How To
Tags: america, appetizers, creole, creole cooking, creole cuisine, dairy, dessert, dinner, fat tuesday, food and drink, food and wine, fruit, hors doeuvres, lunch, mardi gras, new orleans, shellfish, southern states, vegetables