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2. Cajun Cooking
- University Press of Mississippi
- Chapter
- Additional Information
2. Cajun Cooking This chapter consists of a series of descriptions of major Cajun dishes. It is not a complete description of all cooked foods eaten by Cajuns (some of which are not labeled as "Cajun"). Nor is it a "food genealogy" describing the historical origins of various dishes, although I occasionally refer to historical origins, especially if these purported origins are part of the folk or popular view of a particular dish. Nor do the following descriptions constitute a complete listing of all dishes whichare labeled as Cajun. Rather, I list those prepared dishes that are most frequently mentioned and labeled as Cajun when Cajuns discuss and describe their cuisine. The reader will note an emphasis on meat and seafood dishes. Many of the dishes almost always named when Cajuns describe their food are gravybased meat or seafood main dishes served with rice. Frequently mentioned side dishes often contain meat or seafood and rice as well. In short, Cajun cuisine, as described by both Cajuns and outsiders, centers on seasoned meat and seafood, with rice as the usual accompaniment. The descriptions of Cajun dishes presented here are not recipes, in the usual sense of the word. Recipes are of limited use in documenting a phenomenon that is judged and appreciated by the relatively "subtle senses of taste and smell" (Gillespie 1979:403). Cajuns rarely prepare their traditional dishes according to written recipes, and they rarely mea5 ' 52 Cajun Foodways sure ingredients precisely or strictly time the cooking procedures. Rather, they measure ingredients according to the "little of this, little of that" method, and they cook a dish "until it's done." A cook's judgments and actions are based on his or her senses of taste, smell and sight, as are the reactions of those who eat the finished dishes. To better understand the significance of these factors, and to be able to present more than mere recipes for Cajun dishes, I have observed and participated in both the cooking of and the eating of most of the dishes that I describe in this chapter. (A discussion of Cajun cooks and their kitchens is found in chapter 3.) C A J U N D I S H E S R O U x Many Cajun dishes are based on a roux, made by the browning of white wheat flour. A roux is not a finished dish, nor is it edible by itself; rather, a roux is a temporary product that becomes part of a finished dish. Some locals joke that all Cajun recipes begin with the instruction, "first, you make a roux." To do so, the cook mixes in the pot roughly equal portions of flour and oil (or melted fat) and browns the mixture very slowly, stirring constantly. An insufficiently stirred roux will contain bits of burned and raw flour that will ruin the finished dish. It is impossible to "rush" a roux; often a half-hour or more of the cook's constant attention is required. When the roux reaches the proper color—ranging from a dark chocolate brown for brown gravies, gumbos, and fricassees to "the color peanut butter or a brown paper bag" for more delicate dishes—the cooking process must be stopped abruptly by adding liquid (water or stock) or other ingredients, such as chopped onions (some cooks first refrigerate these to heighten their ability to stop the browning of the flour instantly before it burns). The added liquid combines with the roux to form a relatively thick gravy or sauce; dishes made with a roux necessarily contain more gravy than do similar dishes made without a roux. Although all browning is a painstaking task, the browning of flour to produce a roux is said to be the most difficult of all to master. The ability to make a good roux is the mark of a good cook. A roux need not be made into a gravy immediatelyafter it is produced. Some cooks make quantities of roux and store the product in jars in the [54.174.85.205] Project MUSE (2024-03-29 13:21 GMT) Cajun Cooking 53 refrigerator. These cooks use the roux as needed, adding it directly to pots of boiling liquid. Regional companies market ready-to-use roux to which a preservative has been added. Local people find this bottled roux to be satisfactory, although it is more expensive than homemade roux. The browning process does not completely cook the flour component of a roux. Although a roux dissolves...