Cajun Food History

What’s spicy, deep fried and crawling with culture? One may think of Cajun food while also hoping nothing is literally crawling from its plate. Cajun food in itself has established its own culture in a way. However, different regions of the United States see Cajun in different ways. Cajun cuisine is not as abundant in all areas of the United States. For example, the most authentic Cajun food is most commonly found in the south. Even though it is popular, one may not be able to find it somewhere like Idaho without having to dig deep in the archives of Urban spoon to do so. It is also possible that someone from Idaho could find Cajun food in the grocery store by finding a box of Zataran’s. Or they could even go to Joe’s Crab Shack to get what

some would refer to as “fresh” Cajun as compared to something from a box. Even in places where Cajun is not a common household staple there is still the possibility of finding it.
Crazily enough, Joe’s Crab Shack actually originated in Houston, Texas (Ruggless). Houston is fairly close to the Gulf of Mexico and able to obtain fresh seafood daily and also has enough of the Cajun influence to jumpstart Joe’s. Joe’s is also very popular due to its relatively low prices, except when it comes to the fresh caught crab, which tends to be just a little bit more expensive. Joe’s Crab Shack is a chain restaurant, which generally means, with few exceptions, that the food is going to be the same throughout the United States. Granted Joe’s does not completely capture the Cajun culture, it does at least capture some of its unique values
Someone who is not from the United States or even familiar with the way people in the south talk when it comes to Cajun may become very confused by the fact that these southern states have their very own culture within the more commonly known American culture, which in itself is rather diverse. Toby Eyck explains in his article, Managing Food: Cajun Cuisine in Economic and Cultural Terms, how Cajun has established a cultural effect, “First, the culture is the building block for uniqueness… Second, culture extends beyond structural or material influence”. With this being said, the nonstructural or nonmaterial aspects of the Cajun culture can be simply met by the means food is named (Eyck). For example: gumbo and jambalaya are both very uncommon names, until the dishes made their way to fame, but nonetheless are for the most part elementary dishes. The names of these dishes help administer Louisiana and Cajun with its own culture for the reason that both requirements have been met that also adds almost an exotic twist to it (Eyck). Granted everywhere has their own cultural twist with the naming of dishes, yet how many cultures are influenced by three completely different cultures in them? Cajun is just that. Cajun is derived from French, Native American, and Spanish influences.
One cultural aspect that has been adapted from another culture that still has the cultural and economic values of Louisiana they even have a famous holiday, which is known as Mardi Gras, which is right in the middle of crawdad season and probably rings a bell or two for most people. However, Rocky Sexton has a contrasting understanding on Mardi Gras what it is, he elaborates within his article, Cajun Mardi Gras: Cultural Objectification and Symbolic Appropriation in a French Tradition, that not only are religious values related back to almost every favored holiday that is well-known in the United States but, “Mardi Gras use to be a religious carnival”. Indeed, Mardi Gras is still looked at as a carnival, still it has forfeited a lot of its religious affiliations, most of which are Catholic affiliations; over the years, although some religious values that were present during this celebration have fought to survive thus far the food is one of the things that remained the same. Now Mardi Gras is seen as a giant party, not just any party but a party that seems to be never ending and one that becomes more exceptional every year; one that several people want to make an appearance at so that they can cross it off his or her bucket list. Mardi Gras also has roots that directly pertain back to the French. However, Bennett Wall has done some research which is evident in his book Louisiana: A History, which not only describes, however, explains “that Louisiana has had several different types of residents within its borders, ranging from the Native Americans, which changed to the French, then to the Spanish, and lastly, how it is today, still with diverse residents but mostly those of African and French relations”. It’s always crazy to think that just one state has had several different types of inhabitants that have not only influenced the food and culture there, but also supports its uniqueness. The uniqueness that is derived from all of the cultures combined to create one culture and also produce Cajun.
With the uniqueness of this state and its previous inhabitants that have left their mark in some shape or form leads us into Alex Cook, who writes about the activities that can be accomplished while in Louisiana on a Saturday night and not only just in the New Orleans area, but also in the Baton Rouge area and as Cook mentions to it in his book, Louisiana Saturday Night Looking for a Good Time in South Louisiana’s Juke Joints, even the “Cajun country”.

Which are simply the areas that are not Baton Rouge or New Orleans or any other big city that may occur in Louisiana. Speaking of New Orleans, Kevin Gotham talks about how New Orleans even has a culture of its own due to tourism. The south alone already has their own culture and a distinct way of doing things so it only makes sense that something unique arises from it. New Orleans has two cultures thriving within one city, Cajun and tourism, a former LSU basketball player, Aaron Dotson, once said in a casual conversation, “There is no way you can go to Louisiana and not come back with meat on your bones, my little sister gained ten pounds in seven days!” He also said that he “he had to move because he was eating too well.” Even if you’re visiting for a short while for educational purposes, such as school, or even as a tourist, if you visit Louisiana you will be living to eat, depending on how full one’s wallet might be. Perhaps, it may it be because of the assorted spices and blends that are used to make something so unique or

is it because one is already on vacation so won’t be eating all-that great anyway? Even if one is not in the south for Mardi Gras or for some other various reasons, it is still possible to experience Cajun with the various non-traditional dishes that are offered at Joe’s Crab Shack.
First and foremost, if one plans on experiencing Cajun there should be two things to really look into before plummeting in.

One would be whether a seafood or shellfish allergy is present, if so, Cajun may not be the most favored of the food categories. Secondly, whether or not the person likes seafood and spices. A prime example would be a menu item from Joe’s Crab Shack called “The Orleans” which consists of: one pound of Crawfish, shrimp and Andouille sausage all spiced. However, it is almost always best to order the crawfish and crawdads when they are in season, which is right around the Mardi Gras season. Not so much of a coincidence that everything is in season when one the biggest events in the United States is going

on.
There is a considerable amount of different types of dishes that one can consume, the Orleans is what Joe’s Crab Shack commonly refers to as a steam pot which tends to be a little more pricey than something that is from the “main catch” part of the menu or even “on the bun” just for the simple fact that fresh crab is a bit more expensive. In the article, Joe’s Crab Shack, a best Sheller in the making, Roger Ruggless explains to the reader why Joe’s is so popular. One of those ways is by how “casual the restaurant is and how the average price of a meal is somewhere around fourteen dollars.” All one needs is just fourteen dollars to enjoy an almost authentic Cajun meal, sounds like a good enough deal. Granted Joe’s in the West doesn’t seem to sell gumbo or jambalaya, that doesn’t necessarily mean it doesn’t in distinctive parts of the country for seasonal promotions or simply from where the restaurant is located in the United States, such as along the coast or near a large body of water. Consequently, they may not.
Considering how casual Joe’s Crab Shack is, it is expected to get rather sloppy when devouring one’s meal. Especially when the meal consists of the crab steam pots; other things are not necessarily as messy, but it’s much more exciting to get a little more rowdy, messy, and display a bib on one’s front side then to literally ‘get cracking’ in reference to the crab legs of course. Nevertheless Joe’s Crab Shack is not automatically the conventional Cajun, however, it will still suffice for those who are not Cajun gurus. A Cajun guru is a person who is rather fond of the Cajun foods and the various types, one of those types just so happens to be Gumbo, as previously stated.
For the most part in the south, more respectively in Louisiana, “without gumbo the region would not have any soul” (Mariani). Relating back to the culture of the region, gumbo is a huge part of it. As John Mariani explains in this article, Gumbo, “gumbo is a soup or stew usually containing okra, and a variety of meats, seafood, and vegetables. This dish is derived from a variety of different cultures, it is influenced by French and Spanish letters, African Americans who named it, and the Native Americans who lived in the bayous of Louisiana.” Not only does is it demonstrate such a great importance on the Cajun culture and the southern region but furthermore, it requires craftsmanship when it comes to making it. Not just anyone is capable of following the instructions on how to make it, the person who desires to make gumbo must be taught. “Gumbo is very commonly seen at tailgates for the Louisiana State University Games. You could walk past four different tents and see like nine different types of gumbo were being made. It’s a crazy experience” (Dotson). Aaron is not the only one to think that, a friend who resided in Louisiana for approximately five years was willing to share a little bit about Louisiana and the food while she was in fact making gumbo herself. When asked about her favorite part of gumbo she stated, “I just like Gumbo because it’s good food. All Cajun food is good but it’s also like an event too I guess. Gumbo, jambalaya, and crawfish you have so many people and southern hospitality, it does exist by the way, and I don’t know, it’s just what they do down there, it brings people together.” As one can see, Cajun really is a part of the culture, it brings people together and by the sounds of it tastes even more delicious than one can imagine without actually tasting it. Crazily enough, New Orleans is not actually a Cajun City; it is actually a creole city. Relatively distinct from one another, still all together it remains to be delectable. Which would make sense if the gumbo is slightly different between Creole and Cajun, for example Abby is over in Nevada and she is making gumbo with both chicken and sausage. When it comes to the complexity of the meal, “it isn’t all that difficult to make, all you need is water roux, parsley, onion, and whatever meat you want then broil it together. It’s hard fir people to make it if they have no idea what they are doing though” (Cox). So there are differences between regions, even if someone who lived in the Cajun region leaves it, it still changes; mostly because of the available meats around.
This also makes sense for the way Joe’s Crab Shack is ran as well. The differences from traditional Cajun to Joe’s Crab Shack seems to be based upon the foods that are available in most areas of the United States or places that can receive the fresh food whether quickly. Whether it be authentic or not, even the least bit of Cajun is just enough to provide a delicious meal to someone. As one can probably take away from this, Cajun is more than just a type of food, it’s a culture and also a way of life. Depending on where one is from and what is available to he or she is also dependent on how the food will turn out. Whether the turn out of the meal be a family outing to Joe’s Crab Shack, taking a vacation down to Louisiana for Mardi Gras or even to experience the Cajun first hand, or simply making gumbo over in Nevada with chicken and sausage.