| The differences of Cajun and Creole styles of cooking | | | | Creole cooking arose from well-to-do families who |
| are often confused by those outside of the state of | | | | could afford to have a cook. These cooks were often |
| Louisiana. There are many similarities of the cuisines, | | | | African slaves from West Africa, and later free Haitian |
| most of which stem from the similar backgrounds of | | | | black settlers. A mixture of homestyle spicy cooking |
| the two. But there is one food ingredient that is | | | | from Africa, combined with French cooking techniques, |
| responsible for most of the difference in the two | | | | as well Sicilian, Mexican, Native American, and Spanish |
| styles of cooking. | | | | influences, all combined to form Creole food. In New |
| In the early part of 17th-century France, people from | | | | Orleans today, the Sicilians were responsible for |
| Provence immigrated to Nova Scotia (then called | | | | Creole cooking's "red gravy," spicy tomato sauce, and |
| Acadia), Canada, establishing a colony. By the mid-18th | | | | muffaletta, which is a kind of large sandwich. |
| century the British position in Canada became stronger, | | | | Cajun cooking resembles Creole cooking in many |
| forcing the people of Nova Scotia to migrate once | | | | aspects. This is because both of the Louisiana cuisines |
| again. This time they settled in Louisiana. | | | | use many of the same foods. Crayfish, oysters, |
| Other people from different parts of France had | | | | shrimp, okra, pork, zucchini, eggplant, and tomatoes, are |
| previously migrated to Louisiana in the 17th century. | | | | just a few of the food products common to the two |
| The folks from Novia Scotia settled in the bayou | | | | cuisines. What separates the two cuisines the most is |
| country, west of New Orleans. The pronunciation of | | | | that Cajuns use significant amounts of hot chiles, |
| their name, Acadians, eventually was shortened to | | | | especially in dried and ground forms. |
| Cadiens, which later transformed into Cajuns. | | | | A few of the Cajun dishes include gumbo, etouffee, |
| Cajun cooking was based on local ingredients, and | | | | po' boy sandwiches, and jambalaya. All of these |
| their ideas came from rural French home cooking, with | | | | creations incorporate at least some chile spice. |
| some Canadian influences brought in. From this, a style | | | | The cayenne pepper is the most popular of the chiles |
| of cooking arose among the Cajun people that | | | | in the Cajun cuisine, used in some form in virtually |
| distinguished itself from the "higher-end" French cooking | | | | every Cajun dish. The most famous chile of the |
| that was already established in New Orleans (Creole | | | | Cajuns is the Tobasco. The Tobasco chile is the only |
| cooking). The less sophisticated cooking of the Cajuns | | | | South American chile that is cultivated on a large scale |
| was wilder, bolder, and hotter. | | | | for commercial use in the United States. |