Terms
Andouille (Ahn-doo-ee): a seasoned, smoked sausage. The meat stuffing is coarsely ground, has a higher fat content, and is generally spicier and larger in diameter than other Cajun smoked sausages. While sometimes eaten simply grilled, especially as an early appetizer during day-long barbecue and/or grilling sessions, andouille is typically added to dishes for its ability to add not only the flavor of its seasoning but the flavor of its smoked meat. (Meat is, in some ways, considered a flavoring in south Louisiana.) Andouille can be made of either beef or pork. Historically, that difference has been geographical, but in the contemporary scene one can find either in most places and sometimes a mixture of the two. as defined by Lafayette on the Bayou Bounty Trail
Beignet (Bin-yay): A delicious sweet doughnut, but square-shaped and minus the hole, lavishly sprinkled with powdered sugar. as defined by New Orleans on the Creole Fusion Trail
Bisque : This, like so many dishes in south Louisiana, is a subject of a great deal of discussion. (Perhaps the only thing people in south Louisiana do more than eat when they are at the table is talk about what they are eating.) Some recipes call for beginning with a flour and oil roux. Others begin with a butter roux. Some recipes include bell pepper, some tomatoes, and some would never consider either. The most reknown form of bisque in south Louisiana is crawfish bisque. The body of the bisque can be thick like a gravy or thin like a soup and is served, like most dishes, over rice. The meat is seasoned, usually mixed with other ingredients, and then stuffed in the crawfish shells. as defined by Lafayette on the Bayou Bounty Trail
Boucheries : communal events where an animal, typically a pig or a cow, is slaughtered. Such an undertaking was communal because of the work involved and because, in the days before refrigeration, it was wisest to share fresh meat among many families, with each family taking a turn providing the animal. While times have improved and meat can be found neatly packed in Styrofoam trays at grocery stores, a lot of families continue to host or participate in boucheries, precisely because of the importance of community in south Louisiana. as defined by Lafayette on the Bayou Bounty Trail
Boudin (Boo-dan): a sausage made from a blend of pork, rice, onion, parsley and green onion. Traditionally, the pork was organ meats, but that is rarely the case in boudins sold in grocery stores or quick stops. While boudin can be eaten with a fork or cut open and eaten like a dressing, locally it is usually eaten by raking a portion of the sausage out of its casing between one's teeth. (It can thus be eaten with one hand while the other hand holds a cold drink.) as defined by Lafayette on the Bayou Bounty Trail
Boulettes (Boo-lets): Ground seafood, usually fish or shrimp, mixed with seasoning and breadcrumbs then deep-fried in oil. as defined by Lafayette on the Bayou Bounty Trail
Cayenne pepper : the ground red powder used to spice dishes in south Louisiana. It, along with black and white pepper, make up the three basic peppers used in the cuisine here. An old saying has it that one uses "white pepper for taste, black for bite, and red for burn." Ironically, such a grouping puts cayenne pepper with the pepper for which Columbus searched in his attempt to teach the Indies by an alternate route. Unwittingly, he encountered the West Indies and began the spread of the American botanical family *capsicum*, which includes everything from the sweet bell pepper to the fiery Scotch bonnet pepper, around the world. Chinese Szechuan and West African cuisines now depend upon varieties of the *capsicum* for their heat. The cayenne pepper is now also grown in south Louisiana and is the basis for most hot sauces. In fact, cayenne pepper hot sauces are sometimes called "Louisiana-style." as defined by Lafayette on the Bayou Bounty Trail
Cochon de Lait : Event where a pig is roasted over a fire as defined by St. Martin Parish on the Bayou Bounty Trail
Couche-couche : the same meal as corn meal mush in the rest of the South and polenta in Italian cuisine. Originally called sagamit?, after one of the Native American words for the dish, which is where Europeans first learned about it as well as the corn from whence it came, couche-couche got its current name from enslaved Africans who, upon seeing the dish, took it to be the cous cous with which they were already familiar. In Acadiana, couche-couche is served hot with milk or syrup, but many a home cook has fixed leftover couche-couche as fried cakes the next day. as defined by Lafayette on the Bayou Bounty Trail
Courtbouillion (Coo-boo-yon): A rich, spicy soup, or stew, made with fish fillets, tomatoes, onions, and sometimes mixed vegetables. as defined by New Orleans on the Creole Fusion Trail
Cracklings : also known as *des gratons* in south Louisiana, are made by cutting the skin from a hog and then rendering out the fat. The spelling of cracklins simply recognizes that most of us in ordinary speech do not pronounce the *g* of *ing.* Either spelling will get you good eats. as defined by Lafayette on the Bayou Bounty Trail
Crawfish (Craw-fish): "Good Food." A crawfish is related to the lobster and is found in freshwater. It is raised and harvested in Southwest Louisiana. Crawfish season is only a few months in the beginning of the year, so it may or may not be on the menu, depending on when you visit. as defined by Lake Charles on the Seafood Sensation Trail
Dressed : A term meaning you want your sandwich to come with lettuce, tomato and pickle as defined by St. Tammany Parish on the Creole Fusion Trail
Etouffee (Ay-too-fay): Meaning to smother down with onions, garlic, peppers and butter. Most etouffee dishes are served over rice. as defined by Lafayette on the Bayou Bounty Trail
