New Orleans is unlike any other city in the United States, in part because of its heavy Cajun and Creole influences. Both of these French-descended cultures show up in New Orleans architecture, food, and even the music.
What exactly is the difference between the two cultures, though? Is it the Cajuns or the Creoles (or both) that first brought the spicy flavors to the Crescent City?
Read on for a crash course in all things Cajun and Creole, and how they mix to create the unique food and music of New Orleans.
The history of the Cajuns
You might be surprised to know that if it weren’t for Canada, we might not have the pleasure of jambalaya, crawfish pie and filé gumbo. But if you look at the origin of Cajun culture, it’s distinctly Canadian.
In the 17th century, the French built colonies in Acadia, which is now made up of the Canadian provinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick and small bits of Québec and Maine.
In 1713, the British took control of Acadia, but the Acadian settlers stayed peacefully until the French and Indian War broke out some 40 years later. The British, afraid that the Acadians would turn and fight against them with the French, expelled the Acadians from Canada.
Many French Acadians fled to Louisiana, a French colony at the time. Their descendants are today’s Cajuns, (a-cay-jun being the French pronunciation of Acadian).
The Cajun group settled mostly along the Mississippi River in the bayou country west of New Orleans. And the Barataria Perserve, now a nature reserve for wetland ecology, is a perfect example of what would have been the Cajuns’ first home.
The history of the Creoles
If the Cajuns were country people, the Creoles were very much city folk. When New Orleans was founded in 1718, a Creole was known as someone born from French or Spanish parents in the new colony.
In fact, the word comes from the Spanish “criollo,” meaning a child born in the colony. The term was a way to set them apart from the early slaves and served as a class distinction.
The definition became clearer after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 when Louisiana became an American territory with English as the official language. French speakers were immediately recognized as Creole.
Later, freed slaves of Haitian descent and slaves who were descendants of Africans but born in Louisiana were referred to as Black Creoles—again making a clear mark between the classes.
Cajun vs. Creole food
While both Cajun and Creole cultures share French traditions, in some ways they are markedly different and in other ways the lines are blurred. For example, Cajun and Creole cooking is very much reflective of their respective country and city roots.
The Cajuns, as farmers, trappers and fisherman living off the land, created hearty dishes like jambalaya and boudin (a pork and rice sausage) using seafood and meats from the bayou and staples like corn and rice.
Many Creoles, on the other hand, were rich planters who had servants to prepare refined and luxurious meals—like shrimp remoulade and turtle soup—made with the richness of cream, butter, tomatoes, herbs and garlic.
They both have their versions of gumbo, though. Cajun gumbo is darker and thickened with file powder borrowed from Native Americans. Creole gumbo is lighter and thickened with okra, an ingredient brought by African slaves.
Cajun vs. Creole music
Music is one area where Cajun and Creole traditions blended to create uniquely New Orleanian rhythms. Creole folk songs and African rhythms merged with the Cajun sounds of fiddle, accordion and washboard to develop the “Zydeco” genre.
When you stroll down famous Bourbon Street, keep an ear out for these eclectic tunes that roll soul, blues, reggae, hip hop, brass band and a myriad of styles into one. Listen hard and see if you can make out any French lyrics.
Popular storytelling ties the name Zydeco to the French phrase “les haricots sont pas salés,” which literally means “the snap beans aren’t salty.” Figuratively, the slang expression refers to tough times and when spoken in regional French is pronounced “zy-dee-co-sohn.”
Between the Acadian colonial expulsion and Creole classism, New Orleans was founded on tough times, indeed. But for all her troubles, the Big Easy is one place that exudes an unmistakable joie de vivre.
Ready to explore all things Cajun and Creole in person? Plan a tour to New Orleans!