Louisiana Food and Culinary Traditions

Louisiana Boiled Crawfish

Louisiana’s cuisine is influenced by a myriad of cultures including French, Spanish, African, and more, with names to suit those cultures like étouffée, boudin, andouille, maque choux, and jambalaya.

It also includes some of Louisiana’s fresh seafood that visitors may never have sampled like crawfish or alligator. It’s no wonder that Louisiana food draws such interest and curiosity from outsiders.

Excellent Cajun cooking abounds in Louisiana, whether your tastes tend to seafood gumbo, crawfish etouffee, crawfish bisque, crawfish pie, fried crawfish, boudin or maybe even fried alligator!

The two most popular types of cuisine in Louisiana are Creole and Cajun, and telling them apart is difficult for locals and tourists alike because you can often find both variations of the same dish.

And don't forget Natchitoches meat pies, grilled oysters, red beans and rice, jambalaya, great peach pies from Ruston, fried catfish, great BBQ, soul food, and so much more.

Good food is found everywhere in Louisiana. Ask any visitor—or resident for that matter—what they like the best about this state, and they will say either "the food and the music" or vice versa.

A common denominator in our cuisine is often Louisiana seafood. The state has 400 miles—actually thousands of miles if you count bays and inlets—of coastline along the Gulf of Mexico, making it one of North America’s most productive shrimp, oyster and crab fisheries.

In Louisiana, we don’t stop with our unique culinary creations. The state is also home to craft breweries, distilleries and wineries. All across the state fresh brews and wines are being concocted that showcase local ingredients like blueberries, strawberries, roasted coffee, and honey. In some cases, such as Bayou Teche Brewing, these libations are crafted to pair with Louisiana cuisine. And in south Louisiana, distilleries are utilizing the state’s sugarcane and rice to create spirits like vodka, rum, gin, and whiskey.

Whether you are dining at Antoine's or Commander's Palace in New Orleans, Middendorfs at Pass Manchac, Prejeans in Lafayette, Hot Tails in New Roads, or one of hundreds of other Louisiana restaurants, a great culinary experience is to be enjoyed!

Always a popular meal in the Bayou State ... Seafood Gumbo (photo courtesy of LouisianaTravel.com

Louisiana Chefs

The Chefs of Cajun Aces ... Sam and Cody Carroll

The Chefs of Cajun Aces ... Cody and Samantha Carroll (courtesy of the Food Network)

Louisiana has so many famous chefs and culinary gurus, it's difficult to make a list! Well known chefs include Emeril Lagasse, John Besh, Paul Prudhomme, John Folse, Susan Spicer and Ryan Andre, and the list goes on and on!

Sam and Cody Carroll of Louisiana premiered their new Food Network show, “Cajun Aces" on December 2, 2017.

Hot Tails in New Roads was the two chefs’ first restaurant, which is located at 1113 Hospital Road. Scenes in the TV series are filmed at the restaurant, and at the family farm in nearby Batchelor.