Culinary Glossary

A la manger (A-la-mon-jay)

from Lafayette on the Bayou Bounty trail

Means "Lets Eat!"

Andouille (Ahn-doo-ee)

from Lafayette on the Bayou Bounty trail

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.

Beignet (Bin-yay)

from New Orleans on the Creole Fusion trail

A delicious sweet doughnut, but square-shaped and minus the hole, lavishly sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Bisque

from Lafayette on the Bayou Bounty trail

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.

Boucheries

from Lafayette on the Bayou Bounty trail

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.

Boudin (Boo-dan)

from Lafayette on the Bayou Bounty trail

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.)

Boulettes (Boo-lets)

from Lafayette on the Bayou Bounty trail

Ground seafood, usually fish or shrimp, mixed with seasoning and breadcrumbs then deep-fried in oil.

Cayenne pepper

from Lafayette on the Bayou Bounty trail

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."

Cochon de Lait

from St. Martin Parish on the Bayou Bounty trail

Event where a pig is roasted over a fire

Couche-couche

from Lafayette on the Bayou Bounty trail

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.

Courtbouillion (Coo-boo-yon)

from New Orleans on the Creole Fusion trail

A rich, spicy soup, or stew, made with fish fillets, tomatoes, onions, and sometimes mixed vegetables.

Cracklings

from Lafayette on the Bayou Bounty trail

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.

Crawfish (Craw-fish)

from Lake Charles on the Seafood Sensation trail

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.

Dressed

from St. Tammany Parish on the Creole Fusion trail

A term meaning you want your sandwich to come with lettuce, tomato and pickle

Etouffee (Ay-too-fay)

from Lafayette on the Bayou Bounty trail

Meaning to smother down with onions, garlic, peppers and butter. Most etouffee dishes are served over rice.

File (Fee-lay)

from New Orleans on the Creole Fusion trail

Ground sassafras leaves used to season, among other things, gumbo.

Fricassee

from Lafayette on the Bayou Bounty trail

often translated in Louisiana English to "[stew]." Like other fricass?es, the regional versions usually consist of meat cut into pieces and cooked in a gravy, both of which are served over rice. Seasoning vegetables and spices can vary.

Grillades (Gree-yahds)

from Lake Charles on the Seafood Sensation trail

Grillades are round steak pieces, usually cooked in hot fat with begetables in a thick gravy. Grillades are typically served with grist or rice.

Gumbo

from Lake Charles on the Seafood Sensation trail

Thick, savory soup made from a roux and served over rice, usually containing chicken, seafood, sausage or wild game. Known as Cajun chili, you'll hear folks say "it's a good day for some gumbo."

Holy Trinity

from Houma on the Bayou Bounty trail

Consists of equal parts of onion, celery and bell pepper which are sauteed in oil in roux and are the basis of many Cajun dishes

Hot sauce

from St. Tammany Parish on the Creole Fusion trail

This can mean anything from the popular bottled Tabasco sauce to a home-made peppery vinegar.

Hot water cornbread

from Monroe-West Monroe on the Delta Delights trail

Cornbread mix combined with hot water and deep fried

Jambalaya

from Lake Charles on the Seafood Sensation trail

Jambalaya can be any number of meats, seafood, and wild game combinations, complete with spices and broth. Rice is then added, and the dish is simmered long enough to let the rice cook in the "sauce" of cooked meat, spices and broth. The Cajun version of Jambalaya is usually cooked without tomatoes, in contrast to the Creole version, which has them.

Lagniappe (Lan-yap)

from Baton Rouge on the Capital Cuisine trail

An old Creole word for "something extra." Soup meat is the lagniappe from vegetable soup preparation.

Lemon Ice Box Pie

from Monroe-West Monroe on the Delta Delights trail

A pie with a pudding-like filling in a cookie crust served right from the ice box (fridge) so that it's nice and cold.

Mirliton

from Houma on the Bayou Bounty trail

Also known as vegetable pears or chayote squash.

Mudbug

from Shreveport on the Red River Riches trail

Crawfish

Muffuletta (Moof-a-lotta)

from St. Tammany Parish on the Creole Fusion trail

An Italian sandwich, usually on seeded round bread, stuffed with ham, salami, cheese and a 'salad' of chopped olives, garlic, onions, celery and olive oil.

Okra

from St. Martin Parish on the Bayou Bounty trail

A vegetable brought to the United States by Africans. Smothered okra or okra & shrimp gumbo are favorites in this region.

Open Face

from Monroe-West Monroe on the Delta Delights trail

A burger or sandwich that's left open on the plate and is usually covered in gravy.

Oreilles de cochon

from Houma on the Bayou Bounty trail

(Pig's ears) A sweet pastry delicacy which resembles a pig's ear in shape and is deep fried and covered with boiled syrup and fine pecans.

Paneed

from St. Tammany Parish on the Creole Fusion trail

This is a term meaning coated in bread crumbs or dredged in flour and fried in butter. Paneed veal is a regional favorite.

Pistollette (Pistol-let)

from Lake Charles on the Seafood Sensation trail

A Pistollette is a piece of French bread that is made to look like a pirogue, complete with a hole cut halfway through the top. The hole is then filled with a delicious Cajun favorite, usually etouffee.  A "pirogue" is a Cajun canoe, usually made from a dug-out cypress tree. 

Po’boy

from Houma on the Bayou Bounty trail

A traditional Louisiana sandwich typically made from either meats or fried seafood served on Louisiana french bread. Our bread is dfferent from standard submarine or hoagie bread in that our crust is flaky and crispy and the center is light and airy.

Pralines

from Houma on the Bayou Bounty trail

A confection made from pecans and sugar syrup.

Ratatouille

from West Baton Rouge on the Capital Cuisine trail

Means to stir and usually refers to stews

Roux (rou)

from Lafayette on the Bayou Bounty trail

Equal amounts of flour and oil. The base for the majority of Cajun dishes that have sauces or gravy

Sauce Piquante (sos pee-kont)

from Lafayette on the Bayou Bounty trail

can vary from thick- stew-like dishes to more gumbo-like soups, both of which are served over rice. The *piquant*, or biting, of the dish's name refers to the addition of tomatoes and usually a larger dose of the usual spices found in south Louisiana dishes. Both are present to help tame the wild nature of most sauce piquants, which typically feature rabbit, alligator, squirrel, or some other form of game as their meat.

Smothered

from Monroe-West Monroe on the Delta Delights trail

Any item covered in gravy and at times grilled onions and mushrooms.

Sofrito

from Shreveport on the Red River Riches trail

Typical of St. Bernard and Spanish in origin, Sofrito is a result of sauteing onions, parsley, garlic and other seasonings in stages, using olive oil. It is the basis for many dishes, such as beans, stews and stuffings.

Soul Food

from Ruston on the Delta Delights trail

Refers to country cooking, ex: smothered chicken, mustard greens, sweet potatoes, cornbread

Tarte a la bouille

from Houma on the Bayou Bounty trail

A traditional Cajun custard pie which is made with a softer than normal, sweet dough

Tasso

from Lafayette on the Bayou Bounty trail

Smoked seasoning meat used for seasoning dishes like jambalaya and red beans and rice. Tasso was traditionally made from the trim of a hog after a boucherie and was seasoned, smoked using hardwoods for flavoring and then dried.

Turduckin

from West Baton Rouge on the Capital Cuisine trail

A combination of turkey, duck and chicken