Creole and Cajun are terms often used interchangeably, though the cultures they describe aren't really the same. What they share is a lineage from France, which left its mark on parts of Louisiana, especially those near the Gulf of Mexico.
Creole was coined in the 1700s to describe people of European heritage born in the New World. Over time, the term was broadened to include the inevitable mix of French, Spanish, African and other bloodlines that spread throughout the area – one that became part of the American South after 1803. Pinckney Benton Stewart Pinchback, the first African American governor of a state, Louis Armstrong, Bryant Gumbel and Beyonce Knowles are among the list of famous Creoles.
Cajun refers to a group of French-Canadian exiles who migrated to Louisiana and northern regions of Maine in the 1760s when the British assumed control of Acadia – an agricultural community known today as New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Many Acadians became wealthy landowners, assimilating into white American society, according to historical accounts. Others – mostly farmers, laborers and craftsmen – retained their French cultural roots. Today, Cajun Louisiana consists of 22 southwestern Louisiana parishes and is home to nearly 400,000 Cajun descendants.
It's well known that New Orleans, more than any other American city, reaped the benefits of French-flavored Creole culture. That's still visible today in everything from its food and architecture to its music and festivities. Jazz, for example, was born when European parlor music and African folk traditions met face to face in the red light district of the so-called Big Easy.
However, it wasn't long before strains of zydeco, jazz's more rowdy country cousin, also began to emerge from Cajun dance halls in the bayous to the west. The music is very much alive and kicking today in towns like Opelousas, Plaisance, New Iberia and Lafayette. The latter calls itself the Capital of French Louisiana, deftly letting both Creoles and Cajuns take a well-deserved bow! While it's nowhere near as urban as the Crescent City, there are plenty of eateries in town and roadhouses outside Lafayette to be pleasantly stuffed on bowls of gumbo and jambalaya. Crawfish, which come boiled, fried, or swimming in etoufee – that spicy southern stew derived from a French word for "smothered" – can be easily acquired on any journey.
Small communities such as Eunice, La., north of Lafayette, are bastions of Cajun culture. The Cajun Music Hall of Fame and Museum, along with the restored Liberty Theatre, are located in Eunice. Every Saturday from 6 to 7:30 p.m., willing participants have access to Rendezvous Des Cajuns – a variety show featuring Cajun bands.
Down in Louisiana, hot sauce is not a condiment. It's a way of life. Tabasco, the gold standard, by which all other hot sauces are judged, is still being made, as it has been since 1868, on nearby Avery Island. This landmass, literally formed from salt and surrounded by swamp and marsh, houses the venerable Tabasco factory. Since Edmund McIlheney first planted the peppers that seasoned his sauce, six generations of family members have overseen the operation. Many of the workers still choose to live out on the island, in the midst of lush foliage, tropical birds and gators. It's a company town like few you'll ever see.
You can learn more about zydeco and other Creole/Cajun specialties at www.louisianafolklife.com.