36 Cookin’ Up Culture, Louisiana Style Fried oyster po’boy Order up one of these Louisiana-born oyster po’boys at one of the many restaurants in Louisiana, like Spirits Food & Friends in Alexandria. Cookin’ Up Culture, Louisiana Style 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. Jambalaya 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) Pecan Pralines 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 LouisianaTravel.com 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;
Louisiana Travel Guide Louisiana Sunshine Magazine 2021: Page 36
