Southern Spices 101
Cajun style cuisine (yes, it’s as serious as cuisine to us) hails from the Southernmost areas of Louisiana and Mississippi. In line with the tradition of these areas, Cajun food is spicy, rich, and subtly versatile! It is a little known fact that typical Cajun food originated in the kitchens of the poor. Refugees and farmers used what was available in the region to feed large families and, thus, Cajun style food was born. As such, rice is a typical staple in Cajun food and dishes made from Cajun spice. Complementing rice to stew or a dish made it more plentiful and filling. Even today, rice is still added to Cajun food though it may be for the love of the flavor, and not for necessity.
Due to the fact that Cajun people are in close proximity to the Gulf of Mexico, seafood is naturally a big part of the cuisine. Favorites include lobster, crawfish (yes!), catfish, crabs, oysters and many other forms of seafood.