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The Difference between Cajun and Creole
By Charley Addison, Crazy Cajun Enterprises
Visitors to Louisiana, especially to New Orleans ask, "what is the difference between Cajun and Creole?" Let's take a look at the difference in the people, their food and their language.
Creoles were the first European settlers in New Orleans and the Mississippi river plantations. The considered themselves of aristocratic decent. Their heritage was of France, Spanish or Portuguese origins. Creoles were considered to be very wealthy. Some were given high political appointments by the crown. Creole holdings involved shipping, banking and plantation ownership. Their businesses faltered after the Civil War without slave labor.
Acadians (Cajuns) originating from the West coast of France (Brittny/Normandy) first settled Nova Scotia in 1604. Most were of peasant descent with little or no education, who worked with their hands. After being loaded on ships by the British, who expelled they from Nova Scotia, they began arriving in Louisiana about 1765. Cajuns mostly settled the bayous and open prairies where they could continue their trades of trapping, fishing and farming.
Creole food is New Orleans cuisine. Originating from Spanish and French recipes, this preparation of food evolved to its present day popularity under the skilled guidance of black African chefs, whose forefathers were the house servants of the wealthy Creole families. Present day Creole food is influenced by the immigrating Italians (like Emeril, do eat at his restaurants, food and service are excellent).
Basically Creole food is cooked separate from the sauce which is then ladled over and around the dish. Originally, the ingredients came from the land or the water surrounding Cajuns homes. Cajuns were heavily influenced by the use of Native American spices which is evident in the flavor of their cooking. (Such as file' powder, ground leaves from the Sassafras tree.) Cajuns were also heavily influenced by the use of local species. It is said that a Cajun zoo would have the species name on their cage followed by a recipe. Cajun usually prepare their sauce first and then add the meat (especially seafood) last. Usually it is served over rice.
The Creole's spoken French came from the dialect of the Parisians. This is a form of language similar to the form adopted by the French after the revolution and is now considered standard French. Cajun French is a Creole language. Here, the word "Creole" means original. This dialect of French comes from the northwest coast of France, and because it was an unwritten language until 1984, it has stayed basically the same in the new world for over 300 years. The Cajun dialect of French can still be found in the state of Maine, Nova Scotia and also in the northwest coast of France. The Cajun French language, still used daily, can be heard in the Acadians Parishes of Louisiana. (In Louisiana a counties are called Parishes).
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