Research: Cajun vs. Creole

Bonjour! If you're a fan of charting food fads, you've no doubt noticed that menus featuring “Cajun” or “Creole” offerings are popping up all over the place, no matter what type of restaurant you’re eating at. It’s an interesting trend, but it brought to light a gap in my culinary knowledge: What on Earth is the difference between the two? Well, that seemed like a perfect opportunity for some research, so I started looking into it.

There are several cultural differences, of course, which lead to all sorts of distinctions, not only in the actual ingredients that go into each group’s food, but their entire approach to cooking. If you’re a fan of simplicity, you could follow the single bullet point that one article posits: Creole cooking uses tomatoes, and Cajun cooking does not. Full stop. The end. Good night, everyone!

Obviously, I wanted to dig a little deeper, but that’s some handy knowledge if you’re looking for a fast way to identify the origin of the dish you’re eating. There’s another single-line descriptor that offers a much different type of taxonomy: Creole cuisine is often described as “city” food, while Cajun is considered much more “country”. Why is this so?

It has to do with how the populace established themselves. French colonists that lived in Maine and various parts of Canada who got forcibly expelled by the British during the French and Indian War eventually migrated to Louisiana. That would be the Cajuns. Creole refers to the people who were born to the settlers that already lived in French colonial Louisiana, especially New Orleans. The two populations intermingled a lot, but as alluded to above, the Creoles were much more tied to city life. This, more than anything, is what led to the delineations that separate the two cuisines. After all, Creoles had a lot more access to things like markets and dairy products (not to mention servants that would do all the cooking), while Cajuns were more tied to “living off the land”, so to speak, eating only what they could grow or what they could catch.

The two styles are not totally dissimilar. Both are firmly rooted in French cuisine, with influences from Spain, America, and Africa. Both feature gumbo as a representative dish. Both cuisines feature dishes that are heavily seasoned, though this is often misconstrued as permission to make things unbearably spicy. Cajun food, however, is a lot simpler, basing a lot of their dishes on the “holy trinity”, also known as celery, onion, and bell pepper. They also use a lot of garlic, paprika, thyme, and scallions. One-pot cooking is extremely Cajun, and the roux they use as a base is made from oil and flour, rather than butter and flour roux used in Creole cooking. Cajun gumbo is a lot more stew-like than the soupy Creole gumbo, which has a tomato base. Creole food is more refined across the board, with dishes that are focused on cream and butter, and that incorporate a lot of labor-intensive and multi-ingredient dishes. If you’re looking at a remoulade or a bisque, it’s a safe bet that you’re eating Creole.

Both styles have a lot to recommend them. The simple pleasures of a spicy Cajun stew can be just as satisfying as a complicated Creole Trout a la Meunière. The two have become intertwined to the point that it’s difficult to separate them, but there’s something oddly cheering about that. We’re always hearing about the friction between rural and urban people, and here we have the perfect marriage of the two. Food really is the great unifier.

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Research: "As American as Apple Pie"

We once did a podcast segment on Patriotic Foods, and brought up the phrase that goes through everyone’s heads when talking about food from the homeland: “As American as Apple Pie”. It brings such a warm, comfortable picture to mind, doesn’t it? Such a joyful representation of Americana: The image of a pie (with a lattice top, natch) cooling on the windowsill. But as with most idioms, this one’s origins are a bit murky. Why do we say it? And is it true?

Let’s tackle the second question first. In a word: No. Neither apples nor apple pie got their start in America. Dutch apple pies (the traditional version of pie with pastry on top) have been around for centuries. It is believed that the Romans introduced apples to the English, who then brought them over to America in the seventeenth century. They’ve been here right from the start; apples were among the most popular foods to be brought over by the Pilgrims. The spurs were easy to transport, and hard apple cider was often consumed for breakfast. Pies were also a big staple of the Pilgrim diet, but not in the sense we know them by today. These weren’t dessert treats, they were necessary for sustenance. Pies tended towards the savory, rather than the sweet, and were used as a cheap and effective way of stretching a limited amount of filling to fill hungry bellies. Once the European honeybee arrived, apple trees started to bear larger amounts of fruit, and the apple’s reputation soared even higher. While they may not be native to our shores, apples and apple pie have been a big part of our national identity since before America was even a country.

So yes, since America and apples grew up together, it makes a certain amount of sense to call something “As American as Apple Pie”. But how did the phrase catch on? There are a few ideas about that. One unsurprisingly involves the American legend John Chapman, better known as Johnny Appleseed. Chapman planted countless apple trees in the American frontier, but he wasn’t wandering around randomly. He would acquire land, plant apple orchards, then sell the improved land for a higher price. He was the original flipper! What could be more American than that? Hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren grew up learning about Chapman, and his quintessential American-ness was inextricably linked with the apple, solidifying the reputation of both as national symbols.

Though it’s also been suggested that apple growers pushed the phrase as a marketing term, it’s more likely a combination of two other factors. In 1902, a New York Times article comparing pie to American prosperity declared that “no pie-eating people can ever be permanently vanquished“. Americans took that sentiment and ran with it. When soldiers heading off to World War II were asked about their motivations for fighting the good fight, “For Mom and apple pie” was a common response. The post-war period was a time of intense patriotism, and by the 1960s, “As American as Apple Pie” had become solidified as a statement of proud nationalism. Apples are certainly intrinsic to American history, and the phrase is a beautifully evocative one. But if you’re a stickler for accuracy, feel free to start saying “As American as Blueberry Pie”. Who knows? It may catch on.

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Research: Grilling vs. BBQ

Food research is always fun, but I find I tend to gravitate to one type in particular: The “Versus”. The world of food is wonderfully complex, but that means that similar things often get confused as identical. “Versus” helps us sort things into their rightful categories, and as a bonus, you get to show off your smartypants knowledge at your next party! Today's “Versus” came to me from a Four Courses listener, who noted that we’d be talking about grilling on an episode, and begged us to use proper terminology when differentiating between grilling and barbecue. People do often use those terms interchangeably, so let’s try and get them back in their proper places and figure out what makes them unique.

According to the listener, in order to call something barbecue, it should be cooked at low temperature for a long time, and will usually involve a BBQ pit, rather than just a standard charcoal or gas grill. We also bandied around the necessity for sauce being involved. Poking around for opinions from professionals, we found that they definitely back the listener up on this.

Grilling is described as taking place over charcoal or gas at high temperatures, while BBQ involves cooking over smoldering wood at a much lower heat. The heat applied on the grill is much more direct than that of a BBQ pit. Also, grilling is done so that the meat will caramelize, while BBQ is more about smoking it.

Now, we come to the curious bit. Absolutely none of the sources we consulted on this mentioned the necessity for a sauce in order to call something BBQ. Not in any way, shape, or form. Sauced or unsauced, it seems that the only thing that matters when assigning a taxonomy is the mechanism for cooking the meat. Throwing BBQ sauce onto something grilled doesn’t magically make it barbecue, and since there’s nothing out there called “grill sauce”, society is probably doomed to eternal confusion about the differences between the two methods.

So, when summer rolls around again, by all means, enjoy your cookouts and impress people with your mad phat meat skillz. Just make sure you tell your guests that you’ll be grilling (not barbecuing) some tasty goodness for them, lest they be disappointed when they show up to discover that you haven’t been slowly smoking that pork shoulder for hours on end over smoldering wood chips.

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Research: The History of Dim Sum

Some meals bring you peace and comfort, while some are wild and celebratory. Dim sum has the remarkable distinction of bringing a certain measure of both of these kinds of joy into our lives. But how and when did it arrive on our shores? As with any historical question, there are some conflicting accounts. Kyle touched on a few aspects of the origins of dim sum during a podcast episode, but let’s take a closer look.

Dim sum is often translated as “touching the heart”, which is a perfect way to put it, isn’t it? It is inextricably linked with “yum cha”, or the Chinese ritual of drinking tea. Combining teatime with eating was once frowned upon, as leading physicians of the day thought that it would lead to excessive weight gain. That didn’t deter the farmers and travelers along the Silk Road, who, exhausted from a long day’s work (or journey), would stop into the teahouses that sprang up along the way for a bite to eat and to exchange news and gossip.

Records of dim sum go back almost a thousand years, and in fact, it may be the precursor to brunch in its entirety. Immigrant workers who settled on both coasts of America would often combine their morning and afternoon meals, and after World War II, Americans started to warm to the exotic Chinese dishes they had always avoided in the past.

Dim sum’s popularity soared in both America and China, and has expanded even beyond its modern connotation as “Chinese brunch”. Dim sum can be eaten on the go, as dinner, or even as an Asian version of tapas. I tend to prefer it as brunch, but no matter how you consume it, that rolling cart is sure to bring some fun and adventure to your table, along with the shrimp dumplings.

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Research: Cream Pies vs. Custard Pies

It was amazing to see the vast knowledge gaps pop up every time Kyle and I discussed food, and after a while we gave up trying to predict when they'd arrive and what form they'd take. We both love food, but as enthusiastic as we are, there’s no way to know everything. One time, I was describing how I made a banana cream pie, and Kyle mentioned that my preparation sounded more like a custard pie than a cream pie. We suddenly realized that we had no idea what differentiates the two, so I hopped online to do some research.

The difference is a simple one: In custard pies, the pie’s filling and crust are baked together. In cream pies, the crust is made and cooled, and is then filled with custard that has been cooked separately. That’s it. That means that I did, indeed, make a cream pie. It also means that language is downright confounding sometimes.

Other cream pies include the usual flavors you hear about (chocolate cream pie, coconut cream pie, etc.) as well as lemon meringue pie. Even some pies that contain no dairy products belong to the cream pie family. Wild, huh? But as interesting as cream pies are, let’s not ignore the custard pies, which include some big favorites, like key lime pie, pumpkin pie, and pecan pie. Even though we all now know the difference, let’s not give too much weight to it. No matter which sibling in the Pie Family you select, you’re in for some happiness.

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Research: Food Terminology #1

After my friend Kyle and I ate a lovely winter meal at a somewhat upscale restaurant, we noticed that we were woefully uneducated about some of the culinary items and terms that the menu described. Normally, that wouldn't be overly embarrassing, but we were supposed to speak knowledgeably about the meal on our podcast, which led to some hemming and hawing. Unacceptable! As with any specialty profession, the world of food is chock full of lingo and argot and code. Food terms can be downright daunting, and home cooks may well be intimidated to read a recipe that calls for confit. That is, until they realize that all that means is “cooked in oil”. So, after the fact, I decided to look up a few of these terms that I've heard plenty of times, but never thought to explore the details. Now we have them.

Orecchiette: From the Italian for “small ear”. This pasta takes its name from its shape, which does, indeed, look kind of like an ear. The main issue Kyle and I were dealing with is how to pronounce it. As often happens with foreign words, it can be tackled multiple ways. If you’re trying to be traditional, go with the Italian hard-K sound (aw-rehk-KYET-tay). Some regions soften the accented syllable (aw-reh-shee-EHT-ay). And if you don’t hold with those foreign pronunciations and want to go full American, you could say (or-CHET-tee), which at least would end it on the same vowel sound as a lot of other pastas (macaroni, rigatoni, ravioli, etc). We’re romantic types, so we prefer that second pronunciation.

Gastrique: One of the menu items we discussed was a roasted pork loin offering that was served with greens, an apple cider gastrique, and Yukon gold potatoes. So what the hell is a gastrique? In the technical sense, a gastrique is caramelized sugar, deglazed with vinegar. That mixture is then used to flavor a sauce (sometimes with stock). That may be the textbook definition, but when you see it on a menu, what it probably means is that the sugar/vinegar mixture just has the ingredient mentioned added to it. So this apple cider gastrique? Was a sauce made from sugar, vinegar, and apple cider. Voila!

Crème Anglaise: There were a few desserts to choose from at our meal, and Kyle chose the chocolate bread pudding with caramel and crème anglaise. That term is simply French for “English cream”, and is chiefly used as a dessert sauce. It’s made by whipping egg yolks and sugar together – then slowly adding hot milk. Vanilla is sometimes added for extra flavor. The sauce is then cooked over low heat and stirred constantly until it becomes thick. In addition to being poured over desserts as a sauce, it can be eaten on its own, or used as a base in other desserts (ice cream, for example).

Pot De Crème: Meanwhile, I opted for a different dessert; the caramel pot de crème with sea salt. I had initially assumed pot de crème was something akin to crème brûlée without the brûlée, and I wasn't too far off. Pot de crème is a loose custard, made with eggs, egg yolks, cream, milk, and a flavoring such as vanilla or chocolate. The milk and cream are heated and flavored, then mixed into the egg and egg yolk. The mixture is then strained and baked in a water bath at low heat.

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Research: Broth vs. Stock

Four Courses was a ton of fun to produce, and my grand loves of food, cooking, culinary history, and the local St. Louis restaurant scene haven't gone anywhere, but the time and money necessary to put out the episodes has become a bit much, so the podcast has been put on permanent hiatus. That means its blog will probably go by the wayside, but I didn't want to lose some of the fascinating research I put into various food topics, so I'm going to edit those posts a bit, then port them over here. Then maybe I can spring into doing some new investigations!

First up is a post that is wonderfully relevant to this time of year. 'Tis the season for soups and stews, so you'll be hearing the words broth and stock a lot. But can you tell the difference? One of my old coworkers wondered aloud about what separates chicken broth and chicken stock, and I found I had no idea how to answer. Unacceptable. The two terms are often used interchangeably in everyday conversation, but are they really the same thing? Nope.

I thought it would be fun to try and guess what I believe the differences are before looking into the real answer, and ultimately, my prediction was that stock is the combination of bones, meat, water, and vegetable scraps that you cook down into liquid, and broth is the final liquid in a soup that you consume. That’s not strictly correct, though it wasn’t a terrible guess. It turns out there is no such thing as “strictly correct”, because there are tons of reasoned opinions on the matter. Some people agree with my initial assumption; stock is a neutral base for soup that becomes broth when the solids are strained out and seasoning is added.

For other people, the key difference is bones. Stock would be made primarily of animal bones and trim, while broth would be made with actual meat, to provide a richer flavor. It’s unclear how the people who follow this definition would separate vegetable stock from vegetable broth, though. Perhaps there is no difference to them unless animal products are involved. Some feel that stock turns into broth as soon as salt is added. Some feel that the minute you use a stock in a soup, it becomes broth, but remains stock if used in anything else. In all the articles I read, though, one thing is generally agreed upon: Stock is more of a component, while broth is more of a finished product.

It’s unlikely the slight differences between the two will affect everyday cooking. If your recipe calls for chicken stock and you’ve bought chicken broth, you’ll be fine. Now that this research has been done for you, why not make your next homework assignment making your own stock at home? It’s healthier, cheaper, and tastier, and – bonus – your house will smell fantastic.

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