2021-02-18 16:47:33
Don’t know your gumbo from jambalaya? Confused about étouffée and pralines? We got you. Here’s a rundown of the state’s signature dishes. So many Louisiana dishes start with a roux (a sauce or stew base made with fat and flour), and the “trinity” of chopped onion, celery and green pepper. One of the most famous roux-based dishes is étouffée, made with crawfish or shrimp and served over rice. Dive into an awesome bowl of it at Boudreau & Thibodaux’s Cajun Cookin’ in Houma and Commander’s Palace in New Orleans. Featuring a richer and darker roux, gumbo is a stew made with seafood, meat or both — with the optional addition of okra and filé (ground sassafras) powder — over a bowl of rice. The exact recipe varies, depending on who’s making it, but don’t miss a bowl at Cormier’s in Monroe. Louisiana’s classic dishes go far beyond étouffée and gumbo. The rice dish known as jambalaya features chicken and andouille sausage cooked with trinity, but not roux. Try it at the Jambalaya Shoppe in Gonzales and Lil’ Cajun House in Alexandria. Po’boys are sub-like sandwiches stuffed with meat or seafood and more on French bread, typically “dressed” with lettuce, tomato and mayo. The sandwich originated from a restaurant amid a 1929 streetcar strike in New Orleans, and although you can find them in plenty of local restaurants there (Parkway Bakery & Tavern, Domilise’s Po-Boy & Bar among them), you can also taste great po’boys at spots like Sam’s Southern Eatery in Shreveport and Roux 61 Seafood & Grill in Baton Rouge. Uniquely New Orleans favorites include ya-ka-mein, a soup of beef brisket or pork with a hard-boiled egg, green onions and spaghetti noodles; or grillades, pan-fried pork or steak with veggies and spices — topped with gravy and served over grits. Popular at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival is crawfish bread - homemade dough, cheese, crawfish, and seasonings rolled up and baked until becoming a perfect pocket of melty deliciousness. Yes please! When you’re ready for something sweet, a praline is a Creole candy made with pecans, sugar, brown sugar and butter. You can see them being made before your eyes at Loretta’s Authentic Pralines. Finally, there is north Louisiana’s soul food tradition, which brings together the flavors of collard greens, locally raised catfish, cornbread and all the fixin’s. Hearty dishes are served up at Nana’s Soulfood in Ruston, Alice’s Soul Cooking in Minden and Us Up North in Shreveport. Blaze New Trails Why just visit a restaurant or two when you can plan a whole trip around your next tasty stop? Cities and parishes throughout the state offer a mouthwatering array of food trails that will keep you fueled up while on the road. The Jefferson Parish Oyster Trail takes you to more than 20 restaurants offering this local treasure from the city to the Gulf of Mexico. Whether raw, fried or chargrilled, oysters are a south Louisiana staple and one of the state’s proudest seafood exports Gattuso’s in Gretna and Perino’s Boiling Pot are just two of the nearly two dozen stops on the trail. Andouille is south Louisiana at its most flavorful. This delicacy, made of seasoned and smoked ground pork, can be found at spots along the Andouille Trail in St. John the Baptist and St. James parishes. Boudin is a unique smoked sausage made with rice and meat (usually pork), one of the essential components of Cajun cuisine and celebrated throughout south Louisiana. Not one, but two trails (the Southwest Louisiana Boudin Trail based in Lake Charles and Cajun Boudin Trail around Lafayette) help you discover that glorious Bayou State creation. And speaking of Lafayette, the city’s Plate Lunch Trail celebrates this cousin to the South’s “meat and three” — a glorious rice and gravy-centric plate consisting of a meat, a starch, vegetables sides and a wedge of bread popular in the Acadiana region. Fun Food Festivals Louisianans know how to party and throwing one to celebrate some of our favorite foods is as good a reason as any. Check out our full event calendar at louisianatravel.com/ festivals to find a fun food festival you won’t want to miss! Noshing in NOLA When it comes to iconic eats, hot-shot chefs and James Beard winners, New Orleans serves up plenty. Nearly 250 New Orleans chefs and restaurants have received coveted James Beard Award nods and wins, the highest honor bestowed by the culinary industry. There were 16 last year alone, including Outstanding Pastry Chef Kelly Fields of Willa Jean, Best Chef of the South semifinalist Michael Gulotta of Maypop and MoPho, and Best New Restaurant semifinalists Bywater American Bistro and The Elysian Bar. Additional restaurants receiving nods were Bacchanal (Outstanding Wine Program), Brigtsen’s (Outstanding Service), Herbsaint, Coquette, Toups’ Meatery and Turkey and the Wolf (Best Chef). Other former (and likely future!) award winners include Top Chef Masters and Top Chef New Orleans star Sue Zemanick, who serves fare with flair at her restaurant Gautreau’s, and Susan Spicer, who is known as a co-founder of Herbsaint but has gone on to wow guests at her popular fusion restaurant, Bayona, and newest spot, Rosedale. Ready to Fuel Up? Sip and savor the Bayou State’s signature flavors at LouisianaTravel.com/culinary
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