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Cajun and Creole Food: American Influence

Appears in
Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America

By Andrew F. Smith

Published 2004

  • About

A major turning point in the history of Louisiana came in 1803, when the United States, under the presidency of Thomas Jefferson (a self-avowed Francophile and devotee of French cuisine), purchased Louisiana from France. The incorporation of Louisiana into the Union precipitated a flood of American influence, including the arrival in 1812 of the first steamer to navigate the Mississippi River down to New Orleans. The resulting boom in river trade ushered in a golden era of commerce, wealth, and migration that forever changed the region. The increased trade also spiked the demand for slave labor, which was needed to sustain the plantations and a burgeoning agricultural sector. Many slaves became part of a community of female cooks whose talent for mixing diverse cultures and tastes on a single plate was considered unsurpassed. Even after the end of slavery, many remained in charge of kitchens throughout New Orleans and continued to perfect the melding of African, French, Spanish, English, Latin American, and other tastes that crossed the city’s path.

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