- Cajun food relies upon many of the following spices: cayenne pepper, creole mustard, hot sauces, and file powder. File powder is made from sassafras leaves and is the key thickening and flavoring agent in gumbo.
- Roux, cane syrup, crawfish, catfish and pork all play a key role in Cajun cooking. Roux is a mixture of flour and fat derived from classical French cooking; Cajun cooking typically calls for roux that's blond, medium or dark, with dark roux resembling brown sugar or molasses in color.
- Classic Cajun dishes combine the spices and key ingredients mentioned above to create red beans and rice, gumbo, shrimp creole and jambalaya. The po-boy, turtle soup and beignets are other treasured Cajun recipes.
- Cajun food comes from Southern Louisiana. Creole food is sometimes confused with Cajun food, but Creole cooking borrows methods of classic French cooking and adds pungent flavor.
- Many Cajun spices can be found at your local supermarket and you can order hard-to-find ingredients like file powder on the Internet. You can learn to make dark roux through practice and the advice of a good cookbook.
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