Food and Drink Articles

Cajun food history can be traced back as far as the 1700s. The people or Cajuns (the group of Acadians and the native Indians) exiled from Canada. As these people were not treated properly by the French Aristocracy of New Orleans, they were forced to settle down in the swampy marshlands outside the city. The exiled people were forced to survive on the meager ingredients that grew on the swamps and the game and seafood that was available. This was the Cajun food origin and the main ingredients were shellfish, other forms of seafood like turtle, alligator and other game like duck, turkey, chicken and pork. Among these ingredients, shrimp and crawfish became the most popular dishes. These dishes were served with steamed rice, which is the staple food of these people. Gumbo, a type of stew and Jambalaya, which is made with vegetables, meat stock and rice, are two popular foods of the Cajun cuisine.

A typical Cajun meal consists of three pots, one pot contains the main dish, one pot that has steamed rice, a grain dish or fried cornbread and the last pot contains the vegetable. Cajun food in the earlier times was merely considered a food of the poor immigrants. But with the passage of time, as more immigrants melded together in southern Louisiana, they brought with them their own spices and methods of cooking and transformed the bland food into a spicy one. A blend of these ingredients combined in one pot became the staple diet of the immigrants and a part of the Cajun food history. After many years, the ingredients were prepared in various methods and new menus called ‘the Southern Hospitality’ was derived from the Cajun food history. Read the rest of this entry »

God created Adam in this idyllic garden of Eden, where he had everything he needed; Eve appeared and then sin, however the historical and archeological discoveries speak about those times, thus we get some information, lacunar at it may be regarding the beginnings.

Before discovering fire, primitive people is said to have used to feed on fruits, roots and raw meat. Researchers say that roasted meat was first discovered by pure chance. Thus, the meat of animals which fell victims to fire incidents apparently had a better taste and were more easily digested than raw meat. Other rudimentary cooking procedures included frying wild cereals on flat stones or using shells, skulls or carved stones in order to heat beverages. Nonetheless, cooking did not evolve until the introduction of pottery in the Neolithic. Researchers have also discovered that the oldest complex meal was a sort of raw paste similar to the recipe later on used by Roman legions, called “polenta”, or resembling the Romanian “mamaliga”. This paste was made by mixing water with seeds from wild plants, and then crushing them. This paste was soon fried on a hot stone until it formed a crust and this is how the first type of bread appeared.

Cooking techniques have of course improved after the appearance of the clay jars and vessel, and especially after the development of human settlements, together with the domestication of animals and the cultivation of edible plants. The very first beverages used by the primitive man included human milk, which proved to be vital for the growth and development of infants, and for the survival of the species. Read the rest of this entry »