Cajun Cuisine

Cajun gumbo usually starts with a dark roux and the holy trinity of onion, celery, and bell pepper. In Louisiana kitchens it often uses seafood, chicken, or andouille sausage, and it is served over rice rather than eaten like a thin soup.

They overlap, but they are not the same. Cajun cooking is tied to French-Acadian communities in rural Louisiana, while Creole cooking is more closely linked to New Orleans and often shows stronger French, Spanish, African, and Caribbean city influences.

The holy trinity is onion, celery, and green bell pepper, and it works like the Louisiana cousin of French mirepoix. It is the flavor base for dishes such as jambalaya, étouffée, gumbo, and red beans and rice.

Jambalaya, crawfish étouffée, boudin, and blackened fish are all classic entry points. Boudin is especially tied to south Louisiana, where pork, rice, and seasoning are stuffed into a sausage casing.