Get to Know New Orleans Fare
By John DeMers and Rhonda Findley
It isn't just your Mama's gumbo anymore. Thanks to a new generation of New Orleans chefs, some native sons and daughters, others classy imports from across the country and around the
world, speaking "New Orleans menu" is a greater challenge than ever
before. Learn more in this article from New Orleans Gourmet!
Learn the lingo
All the classics are still there, thank goodness. But they are
more likely now to turn up with creative spins, clever borrowings from
across the back fence, another region or a place on the far side of the
world.
We worked our way through as many New Orleans menus as possible
(well, all right, we did taste as many things as possible while we were
at it), and this is the glossary we came up with. Know these words, in
others words, and you'll never go hungry here in New Orleans.
All the classics are still there, thank goodness. But they are more likely now to turn up with creative spins, clever borrowings from across the back fence, another region or a place on the far side of the world.
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Aioli: This is the great French garlic mayonnaise, sometimes given color or additional flavor by things like roasted pureed bell pepper or lemon zest. Aioli is likely to turn up in any savory dish described as being Provencal.
Ancho chilies: Hailing from California and Mexico, these are dried poblano chilies ranging from dark red to nearly black. They are moderately hot, with an interesting taste of smoke afterward.
Andouille: Called by the same name it often carries in France, this is south Louisiana's smoked sausage extraordinaire. Traditionally, it's made of pork -- a byproduct of the festive boucherie. Today, of course, only a handful of residents make their own. The taste tends to be peppery, but the smoke flavor is more important to most recipes than any amount of spice.
Annatto: Saffron or turmeric can be substituted if you can't lay your hands on annatto, but it's an important Caribbean spice to know. Bright orange-red in color, annatto is popular in soups, stews and fish dishes. Even more universally in the islands, you'll find annatto seeds stored in oil, which then takes on the wonderful color. The Spanish Caribbean grinds the spice as well. It is most readily available as "achiote" in Latin American and some Oriental markets.
Arborio rice: All those risotto mounds accompanying fish and meat courses owe their characteristics to this medium-grain rice imported from Italy. During cooking, the grain remains firm to the bite but takes on a memorable creaminess from the slow release of its starch.
Arugula: Actually a mustard green, as opposed to a true lettuce, this is one of the standards of the New Green Cuisine. A Mediterranean favorite, it is often called rocket in English or roquette in French. Arugula is hot, pungent, peppery, and therefore turns up most often mixed with cooler heads (I couldn't resist) such as romaine, endive or bibb.
Beignets: To native of New Orleans, there's no such thing as a meal too huge to top off with fresh beignets at a sidewalk cafe in the French Quarter. These air-light yeast pastries are deep-fried in oil so hot they puff out in surprise, and then they're covered with blizzards of powdered sugar.
Bisque: This is another of those New Orleans dishes that can embody the best of peasant food or the finest in haute cuisine, depending on just who is making it. Its French origins are fairly ancient and mysterious, with some authorities pointing to a half-forgotten puree of wood pigeons, other poultry and game. Other researchers, however, have traced the word bisque to a shellfish soup of Province.
Blue crab: These are sold with either hard or soft shells, in a variety of sizes. Louisiana is the No. 1 shipper of live male crabs to the Atlantic coast markets, with lesser amounts of mature female crabs shipped to Oriental markets in Hawaii. The state's softshell crabs tend to draw a higher price than softshells from any other state.
Broccoli rabe: Sold under the names rabe, raab and even rape, this is actually a Roman cabbage not too far removed from Brussels sprouts -- except that, as I can attest, you need not like Brussels sprouts to love broccoli rabe. In hearty, full-flavored salads, it can substitute for arugula or other cabbage or mustard greens.
Chanterelles: Some chefs call these "trumpets" because that's what they most resemble. They are wild mushrooms famous for their nutty, almost meat like flavor and their assertive aroma.
Chayote:
Also known as mirliton and vegetable pear, this pale green
squash with a wrinkled skin contributes its mild taste to numerous
dishes throughout the Southwestern repertoire. Stuffed with crabmeat and
breadcrumbs, it's also popular in Creole and Cajun cuisine.
Chipolte chilies: These are jalapenos once or twice removed they've been dried, smoked and sometimes even pickled. Chipotles are sometimes packed in tomato sauce, in which case they may be called Mara.
Cilantro: Interestingly, cilantro turns up in both Southwestern and in Asian cuisines, to the delight of its devotees. It is also known as fresh coriander or Chinese parsley, and is considered a more flavorful relative of Italian parsley. With a scent reminiscent of orange or lemon peel, it is often used as "cool" against the "hot" of chili peppers.
Couscous: A popular item on New American menu, this North African tradition fills in for rice or potatoes in different parts of the world. Once cooked exclusively in the top of a couscousiere over stew or vegetables, it is now available precooked in many supermarkets.
Crawfish: There was a time when northerners pronounced it "crayfish" just to make Creoles and Cajuns mad, and they tirelessly mocked the entire notion that these tiny "mudbugs" were edible. The French have always known better. And finally, so does just about everyone else. In fact, tons of crawfish a year stream off to parts unknown -- places like New York and Paris.
Creole cream cheese: Ricotta may be substituted for this Louisiana specialty that has the texture of thick sour cream. It is popular in cheesecakes and desserts built around crepes.
Empanadas: A street food eaten throughout Latin American, these are baked or fried pastry dough filled with either sweet or savory. Highly versatile, empanadas are kin to the meat pies served in the Deep South as well as to the patties beloved in Jamaica and throughout the Caribbean.
Etouffee': The Cajuns traditionally kept to themselves, their main encounter with English-speaking people having been their exile by the British from Nova Scotia. Yet they did contribute many a touch to classic Creole cooking. Etouffee, usually prepared with crawfish or shrimp, is one of the latter contributions. The name means nothing more than "smothered," but the tastes and textures are much more interesting than the name.
Escarole: The leaves here are broader and less curly than those of the other endive, and the flavor is a little less bitter. Veteran salad makers love the mix of dark green exterior leaves and golden interior ones, choosing escarole as a canvas on which to paint composed salads of cheese, meat or whatever else strikes their fancy.
File: This powder of dried sassafras leaves was originally used by the Choctaw Indians living in Louisiana and then picked up by the Cajuns and Creoles. It is used to thicken gumbos, though only at the end of the cooking process since extended heat turns file into a tough, stringy mess.
Flounder: A beloved flat fish, flounder is often served stuffed, though simply broiled with a light sprinkle of pepper is great too. Flounder has the leanest, driest flesh of any fish caught in Louisiana -- and the absence of moisture makes it perfect for freezing. There are, the experts say, few ice crystals to cut the flesh and turn it to mush. So it can be enjoyed anytime anywhere.
Guava: This is one of the few tropical fruits native to the Caribbean, and as such islanders make use of it as often as they can. It's everywhere in the Caribbean, growing outside so many cooks' kitchen windows. Therefore, it is commonly used in jellies, preserves, fruit cups, cocktails, wines and desserts.
Grouper: Yellowedge, aka yellowfin, grouper is the most common type landed in Louisiana, followed by the huge Warsaw and the Snowy. As anyone who has tasted it will avow, the meat of grouper is white, lean and flaky, perfect for just about any style of cooking. The "gourmet grouper," however, is known as the scamp. It is caught only in small qualities.
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About this article: This article originally appeared in New Orleans Gourmet Magazine.
