Masonry Magazine October 1983 Page. 6
NEW ORLEANS '84
In its checkered and sometimes turbulent history, New Orleans owed allegiance to several flags-French, Spanish, Confederate and American (the United States acquired the territory from Napoleon of France in 1803 for $15 million as part of the Louisiana Purchase). The city is a blend of these cultures which influences the food, architecture, music and lifestyles of New Orleanians.
But it's generally accepted that New Orleans is far more "Creole" than anything else ("Creole" means a person of French and Spanish heritage). Creole food, because it was cooked by the slaves of Creoles, combines the wizardry of French with the spice of the Spanish and the ingenuity of the black cooks who added local ingredients to produce the final dishes.
What is the difference between Creole and "Cajun" food? According to the New Orleans School of Cooking, Creole food was cooked in the city as compared with Cajun food which was cooked in the rural areas. Creole cuisine is much spicier than Cajun food because herbs and spices were hard to come by in the country. A typical Creole dish would be "gumbo," whereas a typical Cajun dish would be "crawfish (also pronounced 'crayfish') etouffee."
Late in 1812, during the War of 1812, the British began the first of their repeated attempts to seize New Orleans and thus control the Mississippi River. In early 1815, the dispute reached its head. General Andrew Jackson and his legendary "Kentucks" arrived and teamed up with the noted buccaneer Jean Lafitte, Chocktaw Indians, Creoles and slaves for an extremely fierce 29-day fight, the Battle of New Orleans. The British were resoundly beaten back and driven off. Jackson lost 52 men, while the British lost 2,200 troops.
Learning the Language
While visiting New Orleans you'll hear words and phrases that seem unfamiliar. Here's a brief glossary of some of the most frequently used terms that have been absorbed from South Louisiana's native American, French, Spanish, African and Acadian cultural heritage:
Banquette-French: a low bench. A sidewalk, so called because the early wooden sidewalks were elevated above the muddy streets.
Bayou Choctaw. Bayuk: a river or creek. A sluggish stream having its rise in the overflow of a river or the drainage of a marsh.
Beignet-French: fritter. A square doughnut, without a hole, covered with powered sugar and served with cafe au lait at the French Market and other places.
Cafe au lait-French: coffee, usually laced with chicory and prepared with hot milk.
Cafe brulot-French: burning, hot. A festive drink of coffee, spices, orange peel and flaming brandy.
Cajun The accepted name for Acadian, the group of French-speaking people driven from their homes in Canada (specifically Nova Scotia) in the 1700s, who settled in South and Central Louisiana.
Crawfish-Yankees refer to it as "crayfish," but anyway you spell or pronounce it, it's a local delicacy. Crawfish live in the mud of fresh-water streams. For a five- or six-month season in the spring, they are harvested and cooked in a variety of ways.
Creole-Spanish: "child of the colony." Creoles are descendents of the French and Spanish settlers of South Louisiana. The term is applied to various local items such as food, produce and architecture.
Doubloons If you're in New Orleans during the Carnival season, parade-goers vie for these coin-like trinkets which are tossed to the crowds by the masquers riding the floats. Many local collectors have valuable doubloon collections.
Fais-do-do-A Cajun adaptation of the word "fete," which means lavish, often outdoor entertainment.
Gumbo-A thick soup, usually consisting of the bounty of local waters-shrimp, oysters, crabs, okra and other vegetables with flavorings and spices. For reasons known only to the natives, gumbo never tastes the same outside Louisiana.
Lagniappe-Cajun: a little something extra. When you buy a dozen oysters and are given 13, that's lagniappe.
Mardi Gras-French: Fat Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday and the last day of the Carnival season. Celebrated with elaborate parades and street festivities.
Parish-In the other 49 states, this is a county.
Po-Boy-Spawned here during the Depression, it is a sandwich comprised of a variety of meats and cheeses on a generous slice of French bread. Also called a "submarine" or "hero" sandwich in other regions of the country.
Vieux Carre-French: old square. The French Quarter, the rectangular plot of land bordered by Canal and Esplanade Streets, and Rampart Street and the Mississippi River. The original city of New Orleans.
The paddlewheeler Natchez is one of several authentic sternwheel steamboats plying the Mississippi River at New Orleans. A ride aboard one of these sternwheelers usually takes three hours.
"Cajun," by the way, is the accepted name for Acadian, a group of French-speaking people who fled Nova Scotia because of religious persecution in the mid-1700s and settled in Louisiana.
The Creoles lived in what is now New Orleans' most famous attraction-the French Quarter or Vieux Carre ("old square") as it is still called. The Quarter is the 13-square block "original" city and is still a hub of activity for natives and visitors. If the French Quarter seems slightly more Spanish than French in its architecture, it is because the Quarter was ravaged by fire and rebuilt during the time when the Spanish governed the city (1762-1801).