Cajun cuisine

Cajun cuisine originates from the French-speaking Acadian or "Cajun" immigrants in Louisiana, USA. It is what could be called a rustic cuisine — locally available ingredients predominate, and preparation is simple. An authentic Cajun meal is usually a three-pot affair, with one pot dedicated to the main dish, one dedicated to steamed rice, skillet cornbread, or some other grain dish, and the third containing whatever vegetable is plentiful or available.

Cajun methods of preparation

Some of these are traditional, and some are recent innovations. Deep-frying of turkey or turducken is included because it has become an Acadian folkway in some limited areas. Blackening of fish or chicken and barbecuing of shrimp in the shell is excluded because it is not, in general, prepared in Acadian homes or Acadian restaurants.

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• Boiling, as in boiling of crawfish, shrimp, or other crustacean, in seasoned liquid.
• Grilling
• Pan-frying
• Deep frying of whole turkeys outdoors in a large pot. The same pot and burner rig is also used for crawfish or shrimp boils. Note: Underwriters Laboratories have warned that this technique can be dangerous. Some safety precautions can be found at http://www.ul.com/consumers/turkeys.html.
• Stewing
• Fricassee
• Etoufée (cooking a vegetable or meat in its own juices, similar to braising or what in New Orleans is called "smothering")
• Smoking
• Barbecueing - Very similar to "slow and low" Texas barbecue traditions, but with Cajun seasoning
• Injecting - Using a large syringe type setup to place seasoning deep inside large cuts of meat.