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Cajun Seasoning and Its Uses

by Wayne Wargo (PenWay.org)

Everywhere in the United States, life (and cooking) has been influenced by the culture, traditions, and customs of immigrants from many other countries. Both Cajun cooking and its close relative, Creole cuisine, originated in Louisiana, but have now infiltrated food preparation and presentation styles all across America.

The word Cajun refers to an ethnic group that lives in Louisiana, USA. These individuals are descended from French settlers of 17th century Nova Scotia (originally called Acadians). When they were forced by the British to move to Louisiana from their homeland, the local native Indians eventually corrupted the word "Acadians" to "Cajuns".

Cajun cooking, a combination of French and Southern cuisines, is a robust, country style of cooking that often uses a roux (a combination of fat and flour cooked slowly together until it reaches the desired darkness, generally a deep brown shade, and then is used as a thickening agent). Cajun cooking also depends on the so-called "holy trinity" of chopped green peppers, onions, and celery. Little influence from Nova Scotia has been retained in Cajun cooking, but many dishes have French names. The predominant influences on cooking techniques, besides French, are Spanish, African, coastal Mexican and local southern Indian, as are many of the staple ingredients. Rice is a major staple, and many Cajun dishes (stews, etc.) are served over rice. Both the Cajun and the Creoles prepare a similar dish known as "gumbo", a soupy stew which is popular with both cultures. This dish generally contains an ingredient typical of Louisiana cooking: okra. This mucilaginous vegetable was brought to the U.S. from Africa. The African word for okra is "gombo" or "gumbo". Dried sassafrass leaves, contributed by the local native American indians, are often used in the preparation of gumbo and in both cooking styles as a thickening agent.

Although Cajun and Creole food (both Louisiana cuisines) are frequently confused, Cajun dishes tend to be more one-pot, home-cooking style meals, while Creole dishes are often more elaborate, based on upper-class European cuisine.

Cajun-style cooking has gained popularity in recent years, not just in Louisiana but all over the United States and beyond. It relies heavily on some methods of cooking like barbequing, boiling, frying and deep-frying in particular. As with all traditional cuisines, Cajun food relies on its own specific combinations of ingredients, its own preparation methods and its own Cajun seasoning.

In today's busy world, people have begun to rely on various seasoning mixes for convenience in order to expand the range of flavors added to their food. The Cajun seasoning mixes generally contain ingredients such as bay leaves, dried bell peppers and black pepper, celery, garlic, onion, parsley and thyme, and occasionally sugarcane. The Cajun seasoning mixes can be very helpful in heightening the flavor of sauces, stews, and seafood dishes. Cajun seasoning can be used to spice up all kinds of foods, not just Cajun dishes. "All-purpose" Cajun seasoning can be found in supermarkets everywhere. Generally, it's recommended that you use one teaspoon of seasoning per pound of meat. Of course, this seasoning can be used with fish, chicken (for example, chicken wings), steaks, chops and ribs, and so on. It's also an excellent seasoning for vegetables and eggs.

Cajun seasoning also varies in terms of spiciness. It can be labeled as hot, mildly hot or not hot at all. The hottest Cajun seasoning available is usually labeled "extra hot" and it relies on powdered cayenne or other hot peppers to render that spicy, burning taste. Diet-conscious individuals who avoid using excess salt can also take advantage of Cajun seasoning mixes. You can purchase salt-free Cajun seasoning to get the unusual spicy flavor you enjoy while still restricting your salt intake.

If you're trying Cajun food for the first time, be aware that most dishes are usually fairly spicy, especially if the Cajun seasoning used in cooking contains hot ingredients (such as a large quantity of cayenne pepper). The combination of influences from cultures like the native Indians, the Spanish, the French, the Africans and others add an unusual blend of spicy flavors to Cajun cooking.

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