Cajun Cuisine: Authentic Cajun Recipes from Louisiana's Bayou Country [Hardcover]

W. Thomas Angers (Compiler)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1985

Cajun Cuisine is a carefully selected compilation of totally authentic cajun recipes screened by several career cajun home economists for authenticity and quality. It was compiled by W. Thomas Angers, a member of a second generation Louisiana publishing family. The introduction was written by Marie Louise Comeaux, the worlds leading authority on cajun cuisine, and contains critical information on the origins and component parts of authentic cajun food.

The title includes Louisiana classics including gumbos, jambalayas, bisques, fricassees, etoufees, sauce piquantes, wild game, seafood and much more.

An extraordinary effort was made to identify and publish truly authentic and tasty cajun recipes so the world would know the real thing.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The magic and mystique behind Lousiana's Cajun (or Acadian) cuisine are completely revealed in this collection of recipes from the heart of Cajun Country: the bayous of southern Lousiana. In her introduction to Cajun Cuisine, third-generation Acadian Marie Louise Comeaux Manuel writes, "Acadian (Cajun) Cuisine is a recipe in itself. For ingredients, take the classical French cuisine, combine it with Spanish classical cuisine, blend well, take herbs and spices from France and Spain and sometimes couple with seasoning learned from the Choctaws and Chickasaws. Then be sure to add the ingenuity, the creativity and the keen taste of the refugee Acadians.... Now, add the exotic taste and magic seasoning of the African cook. Voila! This is Acadian cuisine."

The differences between Cajun and Creole cuisines are explained (the Creole cuisine of New Orleans is fattier and more highly seasoned), then the home cook is treated to more than 200 recipes, from breakfast to dessert, designed to bring forth the bayou.Favorites such as fried okra and Maque Choux are represented, as well as 11 different gumbos (even one with squirrel!) and seven recipes for Jambalaya. There's a recipe for Alligator Stew, plus two ways to prepare frog legs, and the book closes with a generous dessert section, which naturally includes Pecan Pralines and Tarte á la Bouillie, a classic Cajun custard pie. The recipes are simple and straightforward and have clearly been tested in homes for the past couple of centuries--no processors or microwaves need apply; all you need is a sharp knife and a big iron pan. Put some Zydeco music on the stereo, fry up some oysters, and let the good times roll!

About the Author

W. Thomas Angers, is a Lafayette Louisiana author, publisher and attorney. He first became interested in cajun cuisine when he worked for his familys magazine, Acadiana Profile Magazine, a regional magazine about Louisianas' cajun country. It is there that he first became acquainted with the writings of Marie Louise Comeaux Maunuel, director emeritus of the School of Home Economics at the then University of Southwestern Louisiana, situated in the heart of cajun country. Her article on the origins and nature and component parts of cajun cooking is the most scholarly and informed on the subject. Mrs. Comeaux-Manuel became a consultant on the production of the book and the article became a component of the book.

Mr. Angers published this book in respone to a perception that so many were seeking to know and understand what comprises authentic cajun cuisine and to fulfill that need.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Beau Bayou Publishing Company (October 1, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0935619003
• ISBN-13: 978-0935619003
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #314,418 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great beginning Cajun cookbook., December 11, 2005

By 

Megan Romer (Lafayette, LA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cajun Cuisine: Authentic Cajun Recipes from Louisiana's Bayou Country (Hardcover)

It's hard to learn to cook Cajun food from a cookbook; the food traditions of the Cajuns of Southwest Louisiana have been passed down orally for 400 years, and only in the "Cajun Cuisine" craze of the late '80s-early '90s did Cajun cookbooks really start to become popular.

These recipes are stripped down to the bare basics, because that's how Cajuns do it. Cajuns don't customarily use Emeril's Essence (remember, Emeril is from Boston) or carefully measured spices. It's a dash of this, a dash of that, until it tastes right. Don't make it too spicy; you can add your hot sauce later. You will never be able to make authentic-tasting Cajun food if you follow a recipe to a T.... that's not how it's done! You also need to learn how to modify recipes to suit your tastes... if you don't like file' powder, don't add it (many Cajun cooks don't add file' to anything, some put it on the table for you to sprinkle in yourself, some use it heavily). If you don't like okra, don't use it! Again, not all Cajun cooks do (although in response to the reviewer below, when Cajuns do use okra in gumbo, it is always sliced, and it is always slimy. Some people like it that way.)

This book provides excellent framework-style recipes for you to do what you want with. If you want to add tomatoes, go ahead! No one's stopping you! If you want to pour in a half gallon of Tabasco, feel free! If that's how you like it, that's how you like it. If you want to make your roux with butter (or oil or lard or bacon grease) do it that way! It won't change anything important, the recipe will still be fine. That's the beauty of Cajun food.

In response to the other reviewer who complained about a lack of pictures, the reality is that Cajun food is not as pretty as New Orleans food, and therefore doesn't make for terribly appealing photos. Gumbo looks like brownish-gray glop, but it tastes like heaven. That's just the way it is. If they'd included pictures, the sauces piquantes, the gumbos, the stews, the fricasees and the etouffees would've all looked the same, and how much would that have really helped? Plus, the drawings that are included in lieu of pictures are really adorable.

Get this book, and don't be scared to experiment with it! That's what it's all about!

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best cookbook I've used! (I'm a true Cajun!), April 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Cajun Cuisine: Authentic Cajun Recipes from Louisiana's Bayou Country (Hardcover)

Cajun Cuisine is, without a doubt, the best Cajun cookbook that I've ever used. I was born and reared in Southern Louisiana, and the recipes detailed within closely mirror the exact techniques, seasonings, and spices that I had learned by watching both my grandmothers in their kitchens, and how I was personally taught by my grandfather at his hunting camp. You CANNOT go wrong with this book! Jacques

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent. Simple, succulent Cajun dishes., January 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Cajun Cuisine: Authentic Cajun Recipes from Louisiana's Bayou Country (Hardcover)

It is the most used book in my kitchen. All the recipies are simple enough for me to wow the native Cajuns. And that's saying something! It's also the easiest Cajun cookbook I've ever used. Your 5 star rating of Cajun Cuisine is much deserved.