‘Creole cooking’ alludes to a mixture of elements and traditions– usually a mixture between tropical and European products and cuisine. It is often used, for example, to describe cooking that blended African and French elements in the American South and particularly in Louisiana. In New Orleans (particularly before hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated the city in 2005) Creole cooking was often compared to and sometimes constrasted with Cajun cooking. Strictly speaking 'Cajun' alludes to French-speaking Arcadians from Canada who relocated to Louisiana after the British victories in Canada. The African element was missing in 19th century Cajun food. Now, however, there is a mixture between the traditions and it is common to see notices saying 'Creole and Cajun food served here'.

There are distinctive Creole cuisines also in the Indian Ocean Mascarene islands (Réunion, Mauritius and Rodriques), in various Caribbean islands, in the Creole areas in West Africa and nearby island states. While Creole cooking is often described as ‘authentic’ Creole cooking, like other aspects of creolization, Creole cooking cannot claim indigeneity. Rather, the cuisine has emerged from several traditions, from new trade routes and from incorporating locally-found edible fruit, herbs, fish, poultry and animals into older cooking traditions.

RELATED WEB-LINKS:

Dictionary of Creole cooking

Louisiana Creole and Cajun cuisine

Creole recipes

ARTICLES AND ADDITIONAL MATERIAL:

Keeping Creole Cuisine Alive
[includes details of a recent video about Creole cooking]