The Cajun mixture or Cajun assembly is a spice composition that comes from Acadian cuisine (French from Louisiana in the USA). It is an assembly of cultures where French aromatic herbs encountered the hot spices of Mexico and Caribbean. A mixture of character, slightly raised, against a background of paprika, garlic, onion, cumin, chilli and aromatic herbs.
The Acadians were the first French settlers in America North. Immigrant in Canada in the early 1600s (the current maritime provinces), they lived from what was easily accessible to them. Traditional peasant style recipes in the French countryside - generally meat and cooked vegetables with a thick sauce in a single saucepan - have been adapted to include what Acadians could catch or harvest both on earth and at sea. Refusing to lend allegiance to the British crown in 1755, more than 15,000 Acadians were deported, many of which went to Louisiana.
Once installed in the south, these French-French farmers once again adapted their kitchen to the ingredients available in the region. Their cuisine has evolved to include crab, oysters, alligator, crayfish, shrimp, catfish and sebaste caught in the Gulf of Mexico and the waters of Bayou nearby. The potatoes were replaced by rice, which prospered in the warm climate of Louisiana, the peppers replaced the carrots in the culinary base of the stews (the Holy Trinity) and new spices (black pepper, pepper, cumin) were introduced. The influences of the Spanish, Amerindians and African-Americans have also played a key role in making Cooking Cajun what is today.
Max Daumin
