We Cajuns love fine foods, and you'll find many of the words that we've listed refer to Cajun and Creole food items.

Amandine: (ar-man-deen)
A method of serving fish or seafood with a lemon butter sauce topped with toasted, slivered almonds.

Andouille: (an-doo-wee)
A Cajun-made lean, spicy, smoked pork sausage that adds great flavor. Andouille is used in gumbos and jambalaya dishes

Beignet: (ben-yey)
Square French doughnut, deep fried & dusted with powdered sugar.

Blackened:
Blackening is a method of cooking invented by Chef Paul Prudhomme. Though he is a Cajun country native, the dish isn't part of traditional Cajun cooking. To blacken fish or meat, the chef coats it with spices and quickly sears it in butter in a cast iron skillet. The goal is to get a crunchy coat. It is not supposed to be burned, over-charred or excruciatingly spiced with pepper.

Boudin: (boo-dang)
A Cajun-made sausage of pork and rice and spices. There are different versions of boudin, including sausages made with seafood.

Bread Pudding:
A traditional New Orleans dessert made from yesterday's French bread. The loaf is broken up, soaked in custard and baked until golden brown. Restaurants usually serve it with whiskey sauce.

Cafe au Lait: (caf-ay-oh-ley)
A half-and-half blend of strong chicory coffee and hot milk. It literally means coffee with milk.


Cane Syrup:
A rich sweet syrup extracted from Sugar Cane. It tastes great on pancakes and waffles, and it's an essential ingredient in Louisiana Pecan Pie and lots of other favorite Southern dishes.

Cajun Cuisine:
The cooking of the Cajun people, the transplanted Acadians expelled from Nova Scotia in the 1750s who settled in Louisiana. Coming out of hard times, Cajun cooking traditionally involved one large pot and often stretched limited offerings to feed many.

Chicory:
Herb that is ground, roasted and used to impart the unique flavor of New Orleans coffee.

Crawfish:
Tasty freshwater crustaceans, locally known as "crawdads" or "mudbugs" (Call them "crayfish", and they'll know you're not from these parts). Cooked in Crawfish Boils throughout South Louisiana, and used in various Louisiana dishes, such as gumbo and etouffee.

Creole Cuisine:
New Orleans Creole cuisine is derived from French, Spanish and African cooking techniques, aided by some Native American ingredients and dishes and making use of regionally available produce, meat and seafood. Generally, it is a city cuisine, commonly employing sauces and more involved preparations.

Creole Mustard:
Spicy version of mustard using mustard seeds soaked in vinegar.

Deep Fried Turkey:
The Cajun way of cooking turkey, where the bird is immersed in a pot of cooking oil. If you've tried it, you know how fantastic it is!

Dirty Rice:
Rice dish sautéed with green peppers, onions, celery and variety meats.

Dressing:
In Louisiana, dressing is synonymous with stuffing, or a side dish for a meal.

Etouffee: (ay-too-fay)
A tangy dish, usually made with crawfish or shrimp, prepared by simmering over a slow flame.

Fais do do: (fay-do-do)
A traditional South Louisiana dance party with Cajun and Zydeco music.

File: (fee-lay)
Ground sassafras leaves used to thicken and flavor gumbo.

Gumbo:
A deep rich Cajun stew often thickened with okra or file. Some popular types are Chicken Gumbo, Shrimp Gumbo and Crawfish Gumbo.

Jambalaya: (jam-bah-lah-ya)
A traditional Southern Louisiana rice dish. Well seasoned mixture of meat, vegetables and rice cooked in a single pot.

King Cake:
Traditional Mardi Gras cake, decorated in gold, purple and green, and served at King Cake parties throughout Mardi Gras season.

Laissez les Bon Temps Rouler: (lez-ay lay bon tom rule-air)
You often hear this popular Cajun phrase during Mardi Gras. It means "Let the good times roll!"

Mardi Gras:
Literally means "Fat Tuesday", the day before Ash Wednesday which marks the beginning of Lent. Mardi Gras starts on the 12th night after Christmas and builds to the finale on "Fat Tuesday". Mardi Gras parties abound during the whole period, but the big day is "Fat Tuesday".

Marinade:
A mixture of liquids and seasonings in which foods are soaked before cooking. Marinades are an important part of Louisiana cuisine.

Molasses:
Molasses is made from Cane Syrup which is cooked down to a thick consistency, giving a rich and robust flavor and color. The savory sweetness of all-natural molasses imparts moistness and a delicate caramel aroma to cookies, pies and brown breads.

Muffuletta:
A popular New Orleans French Quarter sandwich originating along Decatur Street near the Old French Market. Ham, salami and cheese are stacked with olive salad on a round loaf of Italian bread. It's served hot and it's delicious!

Pain Perdu: (pan-per-doo)
French toast (literal translation is "Lost Bread")

Po' Boy:
Any sandwich served on French bread and usually served dressed with lettuce, tomato and mayonnnaise. Po' Boys are made with everything from fried shrimp, oysters, crawfish and catfish to roast beef or other lunch meats.

Praline: (praw-leen)
A delicious sweet New Orleans candy made with pecans, brown sugar and cream.

Red Beans and Rice:
A traditional South Louisiana dish with red kidney beans, rice, seasonings and sausage.

Remoulade (raam-a-ladd):
A spicy sauce used with shrimp and other seafood.

Roux: (roo)
A slow-cooked mixture of flour and oil. Adds flavor and body to Gumbo and other Cajun dishes.

Sauce Piquante:
A thick, sharp flavored sauce made with roux and tomatoes, highly seasoned with herbs and peppers, simmered for hours.

Tasso: (tah-so)
Thin cut highly seasoned smoke cured ham. Used for seasoning in beans, gumbos, vegetables and many other Cajun dishes.

Trinity:
Reverent slang in South Louisiana cooking for celery, onions and bell pepper, which are used in many, many Cajun recipes.

Turducken:
What's a turducken? This unique "Cajun Bird" is a turkey, stuffed with a duck, stuffed with a chicken. And it's also stuffed with lots of Cajun dressings and seasonings. Turduckens are the ultimate Cajun feast! And a perfect choice for every Holiday or special occasion!

Zydeco (zie-de-coe):
Cajun country music with black influences.