By the time 1812 rolled around and Louisiana was granted
statehood, we had already gained a reputation for a land where you could really
enjoy an exotic and truly unique meal. Unlike anywhere in the United States,
the last 200 hundreds years has seen an evolution in its culinary landscape and
a return to agriculture that waned at times.
The Louisiana Bicentennial Commission’s Foodways Committee
felt sharing the history of our cuisine throughout the year was extremely
important. As life gets faster, humans try to keep up with technology,
population shifts and relocation and the availability of foods, sharing the
history and ethnic influences of this cultural aspect is a priority of food
historians and industry stakeholders.
The people that have settled in Louisiana during its history
have shaped the cuisine of the regions of the state. Those people have come
from France, Canada, Ireland, England, Croatia, Basque, Spain, Africa,
Caribbean, South America, Vietnam, Hungary, Germany, the Middle East and many
others. That’s a lot of flavor.
The Foodways Committee set forth to further its historical
and culinary educational intent by producing a series of pop up banners that
will travel to state libraries this year. Eight panels which will be exhibited
for several weeks at each stop gives an overview of the geographic differences
in types of cuisine, ethnic influences and produce availability.
“As a French Creole from Southwest Louisiana, my food
memories include boudin from Abe’s on Saturdays, when my mom grocery shopped
and sweet dough pies at the cash register,” said Erica Papillion, Louisiana Restaurant Association Director of Communications. “Since I
moved to New Orleans in 2004, those delicacies are not readily available, but I
enjoy snoballs, which are a uniquely New Orleans treat and the variety of Gulf
fish that is much more pronounced on menus.”
As it appears on the introduction panel produced in
partnership with the Southern Food and Beverage Museum, statehood cemented the
relationship between the people of Louisiana and their fondness for all things
edible.
The people of Louisiana—the
Native Americans, the Europeans and the Africans—together melded their raw
materials, their techniques, their labor and their spirit into a unique
cuisine. The food of Louisiana is arguably the only true cuisine that has
developed in the U.S. Statehood clarified and defined Louisiana so that the
foods and foodways were identified with the state and at the same time became
part of our identity.
An important point of the panels is the fact that the
cuisine is no doubt regional and based on the bounty of those areas and the
peoples that settle there.
From the white tablecloth restaurants
and urban street food of New Orleans, the seafood of the coast, the game of the
north and the pork of the plains, the food is connected by a certain attitude,
but greatly influenced by the availability of the ingredients that geography
presents.
“I grew up in LaPlace, the Andouille Capitol of the World
and was always within influence of the famed New Orleans restaurants,” said
Wendy Waren, LRA VP of Communications. “My husband is a Cajun from Eunice and grew up on a rice and
crawfish farm. Pair that with my position at the LRA and there’s a lot I’ve
tried and a lot I love.”
In the Northern part of Louisiana, the cuisine reflects that
of the Caddo Indians, original residents of the southern Plains, particularly
Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana. The influence of the Caddo is great
here. It was they who created the plains that allowed bison to wander the state
and it was their influence carried along by the Spanish who established the
corn flour tamál, formed around minced and spiced beef. The Spanish left hogs
in the area which became feral and proliferated. Cattle and hog farms occupy an
important aspect of the region.
This area looks to Texas and the
Spanish, as well as to the French in the south, to find its identity.
Shreveport, the Red River and the Texas Trail were created to encourage trade
with Texas and Mexico and allowed the food of these regions a spot on the
Louisiana table.
Along the coast of which Louisiana has 7,700 tidal miles,
oysters, shrimp, crabs and countless varieties of fish are harvested from the
Gulf of Mexico, bays, bayous and estuaries and have found their way to the
restaurant tables as a the star of the entrée.
“I grew up in Houma where the freshest seafood is served
daily in restaurants and in homes,” said Alice Glenn, LRA Education Foundation
Executive Director. “Crabbing and fishing with my dad was something I always
looked forward to and just this morning I received an email from him stating
‘Red snapper season opens this Friday! Who’s in’?”
What part of Louisiana are you from, have you traveled to or
have gone on business where the geographic and ethnic differences were
prevalent?
