Cajun Dictionary of Louisiana Foods

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And if you'd like to learn more about the Cajun language, we've recently added a book called Speaking Louisiana - A Cajun Dictionary.

Amandine: (ar-man-deen)
A method of serving fish or seafood with a lemon butter sauce topped with toasted, slivered almonds. Try a pack of Cajun King Lemon Butter Amandine Sauce Mix. It's a favorite in these parts.

Andouille: (ahn-doo-wee)
A Cajun-made lean, spicy, smoked pork sausage that adds great flavor. Click Here to see our Andouille and other Cajun Sausage offerings. Andouille is used in gumbos and jambalaya dishes, and it's also served grilled with New Orleans staples like Red Beans and Rice.

Beignet: (bin-yey)
Square French doughnut, deep fried & dusted with powdered sugar.
We offer the popular French Market Beignet Mix, and now we've added Cafe du Monde Coffee & Beignet Mix from one of New Orleans' most famous coffee houses.

Bisque: (bisk)
A rich, thick creamy soup made from seafood.
In Cajun country, it's usually made with crawfish or shrimp.

Blackened:
Blackening is a method of cooking invented by Chef Paul Prudhomme. Though he is a Cajun country native, the dish isn't part of traditional Cajun cooking. To blacken fish or meat, the chef coats it with spices and quickly sears it in butter in a cast iron skillet. The goal is to get a crunchy coat. It is not supposed to be burned, over-charred or excruciatingly spiced with pepper. Check out our Char-Grilled Blackened Seasoning mix from Cajun King.

Boudin: (boo-dang)
A nicely seasoned Cajun sausage traditionally made of pork and rice and spices. You can find several different versions of boudin here in South Louisiana: hot, mild, smoked, and specialty boudins made with Louisiana seafood such as crawfish and shrimp.
Click Here to see our broad selection of authentic Cajun Boudins.

Bread Pudding:
A traditional New Orleans dessert made from yesterday's French bread. The loaf is broken up, soaked in custard and baked until golden brown. Restaurants usually serve it with whiskey sauce. To enjoy the delicious flavor of New Orleans bread pudding without all the fuss, try Chef Williams' Bread Pudding mix.

Cafe au Lait: (caf-ay-oh-ley)
A half-and-half blend of strong chicory coffee and hot milk. It literally means coffee with milk. Check out our New Orleans Coffee Section for some great Louisiana coffee choices

Cajun Cuisine:
The cooking of the Cajun people, the transplanted Acadians expelled from Nova Scotia in the 1750s who settled in Louisiana. Coming out of hard times, Cajun cooking traditionally involved one large pot and often stretched limited offerings to feed many.

Cajun Sausage:
South Louisiana is famous for it's great Cajun sausage. Check out our French Market Foods Cajun sausages. And for those special Cajun items - such as Chaurice, Duck Sausage, Alligator Sausage, Crawfish Sausage etc - you should also check out our Poche's Market products.

Cane Syrup:
A rich sweet syrup extracted from Sugar Cane. It tastes great on pancakes and waffles, and it's an essential ingredient in Louisiana Pecan Pie and lots of other favorite Southern dishes. Steen's has been making delicious Louisiana Cane Syrup in Abbeville Louisiana for over five generations. And through all the years, the Mill still uses the original recipe, and steam equipment continues to make pure cane syrup & molasses the old traditional way in open kettles.

Chicory:
Herb that is ground, roasted and used to impart the unique flavor of New Orleans coffee. We offer a fine selection of Louisiana coffees in our Creole Coffees section. You'll also find our New Orleans coffees in Gift Baskets such as Creole Coffee and Pralines & Flavors of New Orleans.

Cochon de Lait: (coo-shon duh lay)
An event where a suckling pig is roasted over a blistering hickory fire until the inside is tender and juicy and the outside brittle as well-cooked bacon

Courtbouillon: (coo-boo-yon)
A spicy Louisiana stew made with fish, tomatoes, onions and vegetables, and typically thickened with a roux.

Crawfish:
Tasty freshwater crustaceans, locally known as "crawdads" or "mudbugs" (Call them "crayfish", and they'll know you're not from these parts). Cooked in Crawfish Boils throughout South Louisiana, and used in various Louisiana dishes, such as gumbo and etouffee. In season (which usually runs from early Spring through to mid Summer), we ship lots of live Cajun Crawfish for crawfish boils everywhere in the lower 48 States.

Crème Brûlée: (French for "burnt cream")
A dessert consisting of a rich custard base topped with a layer of hard caramel, created by burning sugar under a grill or other intense heat source. It is usually served cold in individual ramekins. The custard base is normally flavored with just vanilla, but it can be enhanced with chocolate, liqueur, fruit, etc. Sometimes the hardened sugar on top will be caramelized by igniting a layer of liqueur sprinkled over the top.
We offer a Crème Brûlée Flavored Gourmet Coffee on our website.

Creole Cuisine:
New Orleans Creole cuisine is derived from French, Spanish and African cooking techniques, aided by some Native American ingredients and dishes and making use of regionally available produce, meat and seafood. Generally, it is a city cuisine, commonly employing sauces and more involved preparations.

Creole Mustard:
Spicy version of mustard made in South Louisiana using select mustard seeds that are marinated before processing. Visit our Louisiana Seasonings, Spices & Mustards page and find favorite Louisiana mustards from Zatarains, Tabasco and Rex.

Deep Fried Turkey:
The Cajun way to cook turkey, where the bird is immersed in a pot of cooking oil. If you've tried it, you know how fantastic it is!
We feature Turkey Fry Kits at our Cajun Cookware category.
This unit is also great for Cajun crawfish and seafood boils.
And, if you want to enjoy Cajun Fried Turkey without the bother, we have "Ready-to-Heat-and-Eat" Cajun Deep Fried Turkeys. And we have a recipe for Cajun Fried Turkey on our Recipe Links.

Dirty Rice:
Rice dish sautéed with green peppers, onions, celery and variety meats. Just click Here to pick up a box of Zatarain's New Orleans Dirty Rice mix. We have also included Dirty Rice mix in our New Orleans Steamboat Banquet, The Flavors of New Orleans and Creole Love Boat baskets.

Dressing:
In Louisiana, dressing is synonymous with stuffing, or a side dish for a meal. We offer various selections of Cajun dressings  with our Turduckens and Stuffed Chickens.

Etouffee: (ay-too-fay)
A tangy dish, usually made with crawfish or shrimp, prepared by simmering over a slow flame. Try our delicious read-to-eat Creole Etouffee. Or click Here to check our shelves for Creole Etouffee mixes. You'll also find Etouffee mix in our New Orleans Steamboat Banquet, Creole Love Boat, Cajun Swamp Pirogue, and Creole Surprise baskets.

Fais do do: (fay-do-do)
A traditional South Louisiana dance party with Cajun and Zydeco music. We have some great Cajun music in our Cajun and Zydeco Music section.

File: (fee-lay)
Ground sassafras leaves used to thicken and flavor gumbo.
We've recently added this classic seasoning to our website store.
Click Here to add Gumbo File to your cooking supplies.

Grillades: gree-yahds)
Beef or veal round steak, browned, then simmered until tender in browned tomato sauce served over rice or grits.

Gumbo: (Gom-bo)
A deep rich Cajun stew often thickened with okra or file. Some popular types are Chicken Gumbo, Shrimp Gumbo and Crawfish Gumbo. We've got some great ready-to-eat Cajun Gumbo on our website. We also offer two types of Gumbo mix: Gumbo with Roux mix from Mam Papaul's and a Gumbo mix with Rice from Zatarain's, and The Gumbo Gift Box makes a great gift for gumbo lovers. Some of our baskets, such as Flavors of New Orleans, also contain gumbo mix.

Jambalaya: (jam-bah-lah-ya)
A traditional Southern Louisiana rice dish. Well seasoned mixture of meat, vegetables and rice cooked in a single pot. You have to try our zesty ready-to-eat Cajun Jambalaya. Or click Here to pick up your box of Cajun Jambalaya mix . Or click Zatarain's Jambalaya mix. And you'll find Jambalaya mix in New Orleans Steamboat Banquet, Creole Love Boat and Cajun Swamp Pirogue.

King Cake:
Traditional Mardi Gras cake, decorated in gold, purple and green, and served at King Cake parties throughout Mardi Gras season.
Click Here to take a look at our King Cake selections.
...And you don't have to wait for next Mardi Gras to sample it.
Folks around here enjoy their King Cakes all year long.
Or Click Here to just pick up some of Mam Papaul's King Cake mix.
It's moist and delicious, and comes with popular Praline filling.

Lagniappe: (lan-yap)
In Cajun, it means a little something extra or special. We try to do that on our website, and with every one of our items whether it's gifts, foods, baskets, music, cookbooks or cookware.

Laissez les Bon Temps Rouler: (lez-ay lay bon tom rule-air)
You often hear this popular Cajun phrase during Mardi Gras.
It means "Let the good times roll!"

Maque Choux: (mok shoo)
Traditional dish of Southern Louisiana. It contains corn, green bell pepper, tomatoes, and onion. Traditionally, these ingredients were cooked with bacon grease, although this is now more often substituted with various combinations of oil, butter, or cream. The dish is seasoned with salt and red or black pepper.

Mardi Gras:
Literally means "Fat Tuesday", the day before Ash Wednesday which marks the beginning of Lent. Mardi Gras starts on the 12th night after Christmas and builds to the finale on "Fat Tuesday". Mardi Gras parties abound during the whole period, but the big day is "Fat Tuesday". See our New Orleans Party Time Stuff  and King Cakes.
And remember, it's Mardi Gras all year long in New Orleans.

Marinade:
A mixture of liquids and seasonings in which foods are soaked before cooking. Marinades are an important part of Louisiana cuisine. Click here to find several popular Cajun marinades

Mirliton: (mirl-uh-tahn)
Mirliton is a favorite vegetable of South Louisiana. And Stuffed Mirliton is a special treat. The insides are cooked like squash, mixed with Tasso Ham, Shrimp and Cajun Spices, and stuffed into the vegetable.

Molasses:
Louisiana is a land of abundant Sugar Cane, and Steen's has been making delicious Cane Syrup and Molasses from sugar cane the old fashioned way for over five generations. Molasses is made from Cane Syrup which is cooked down to a thick consistency, giving a rich and robust flavor and color. The savory sweetness of all-natural molasses imparts moistness and a delicate caramel aroma to cookies, pies and brown breads.

Muffuletta:
A popular New Orleans French Quarter sandwich originating along Decatur Street near the Old French Market. Ham, salami and cheese are stacked with olive salad on a round loaf of Italian bread. It's served hot and it's delicious! We carry Boscoli Muffuletta Olive Salad, and we think it's the very best.

Okra:
A vegetable brought to the United States by Africans.
It is used to thicken and flavor gumbo.
Try a box of Mam Papaul's Gumbo with Okra Mix.

Pain Perdu: (pan-per-doo)
French toast (literal translation is "Lost Bread")

Pecan: (peh-kawn, not pee-kan)
Pecan trees flourish in orchards throughout Louisiana. And pecan nuts from these trees are a major ingredient in Louisiana Pecan Pies and New Orleans Pecan Praline candy.

Pirogue: (pee-row)
Cajun swamp boat. We named one of our gift baskets Cajun Swamp Pirogue after this traditional swamp boat

Po' Boy:
Any sandwich served on French bread and usually served dressed with lettuce, tomato and mayonnnaise. Po' Boys are made with everything from fried shrimp, oysters, crawfish and catfish to roast beef or other lunch meats.

Praline: (praw-leen)
A delicious sweet New Orleans candy made with pecans, brown sugar and cream. Click Here to taste the flavor of French Quarter Pecan Pralines for yourself. You'll also find mouth-watering Pecan Pralines in our Louisiana Gourmet Coffee & Pralines Tray.

Red Beans and Rice:
A traditional New Orleans dish with red kidney beans, rice, seasonings and andouille sausage. Pick up a bag of Louisiana Seasoned Red Beans, or go back to basics with New Orleans' favorite Camellia Red Beans. Then pick up a bag of Creole Rose Aromatic Rice and you're on your way to making a great New Orleans meal. Or save a little time and grab a box or two of Zatarains New Orleans Red Beans and Rice mix.

Remoulade (rem-oo-lard):
A spicy sauce used with shrimp and other seafood. Click Here for your own Remoulade Sauce taste test.

Roux: (roo)
A slow-cooked mixture of flour and oil. Adds flavor and body to Gumbo and other Cajun dishes. We carry a great Roux on our grocery shelves. We think you'll also enjoy the roux in our Gumbo with Roux mix. And we added Gumbo with Roux mix to our Flavors of New Orleans basket.

Sauce Piquante:
A thick, sharp flavored sauce made with roux and tomatoes, highly seasoned with herbs and peppers, simmered for hours. Try a box of Mam Papaul's Sauce Piquante and you'll see why it's a Cajun favorite.

Tasso: (tah-so)
Thin cut highly seasoned smoke cured ham. Used for seasoning in beans, gumbos, vegetables and many other Cajun dishes. We've recently added Tasso to our list of offerings.

Trinity:
Reverent slang in South Louisiana cooking for celery, onions and bell pepper, which are used in many, many Cajun recipes.

Turducken:
What's a turducken? This unique "Cajun Bird" is a turkey, stuffed with a duck, stuffed with a chicken. And it's also stuffed with lots of Cajun dressings and seasonings. Turduckens are the ultimate Cajun feast! And a perfect choice for every Holiday or special occasion!
Try our Cajun Turducken or Turducken Roll for your next get-together.

Zydeco (zie-de-coe):
Cajun country music with black influences.
Stop by our Louisiana Music Section to chack out our great Zydeco & Cajun CDs, as well as great New Orleans Dixieland Jazz and Mississippi River Blues, Swamp Pop and Mardi Gras music selections.