Cajun Vs Creole Food

For an average person there's not much of a difference between Creole and Cajun cuisine. On a level, we can understand why so many are confused between these two great cuisines.

Both cuisines share a number of similarities. They are even from the same state of Louisiana! But there are still plenty of differences between these two iconic American cuisines that every food aficionado should know. 

📝 Cajun Cuisine

Cajun cuisine originated from the Acadians, who were French settlers in the Acadian region of Canada. They migrated down to Louisiana when the British deported them in the 18th century. Along with bringing their music, Acadians also brought their Cajun cuisine to Louisiana. 

Acadians were a resourceful bunch who lived off the land. This can be clearly seen in their cuisine which uses ingredients that are easily available in Louisiana. From its gumbo or po'boy, Cajun cuisine is the food for people with rustic taste buds. Try Cajun Butter Crockpot Chicken Thighs and Rice or Cajun Shrimp and Rice (Instant Pot / Slow Cooker) or Cajun Chicken (BAKED) or Extra Crispy Cajun Dry Rub Chicken Wings in Air Fryer

Try my Homemade Cajun Seasoning Recipe

🥘 Creole cuisine 

The word 'Creole' can be traced from the French settlers during the times Louisiana was still a colony. They were mostly centered in the city of New Orleans, which to this day is the place where you'll get the most authentic taste of Creole food. 

Coming back to history, the Creoles were descendants from the upper class of the French and Spanish, and this was clearly seen in their Creole cuisine. With time and resources in hand, they created a cuisine that pulls out all the stops. 

Creole cuisine uses a variety of ingredients in their cooking, giving the recipes a light touch of aristocratic flare. Exotic spices, velvety soups, and rich sauces are a mainstay of Creole cuisine. People who have refined taste buds will love what Creole cuisine has to offer. Try my Shrimp Creole and Chicken and Shrimp Gumbo in Crockpot

👩‍🍳 The Similarities

To understand the differences we first need to understand what makes Creole and Cajun cuisine so similar. To be fair to all those who get confused, there are plenty of similarities between these two cuisines that can make anyone scratch their heads.

• Both cuisines came from Louisiana. 
• The holy trinity of cooking, which is the combination of green bell peppers, onions and celery is in both the cuisines. This holy trinity makes up the base of many recipes in both the Cajun and Creole cuisine. 
• Both Creole and Cajun food are known for their use of spices. Both cuisines share a number of same spices in their seasonings. 
• Both cuisines have roux as the base for many recipes. You need to know how to make a perfect roux to master Creole and Cajun recipes. 
• Heavy French influence can be seen in both the cuisines. This is only natural since the original developers of both Creole and Cajun cuisines were French settlers.
• Because of this shared French heritage both Creole and Cajun use French cooking techniques in their recipes. 
• In addition to having roots in French culinary culture, Creole and Cajun cuisines also have vestiges of the Caribbean, Native American, and African cooking cultures.
• Perhaps the most important similarity between Creole and Cajun is how much they take their food seriously. Whether you eat at a Creole household or a Cajun home, you will definitely have the time of your life.
• When it comes to cooking and hosting people, there's no competition for Creole and Cajun people. 

With so many similarities between Creole and Cajun, we can see why people can mistake one for another. But if you look closely, there are plenty of differences that make Creole and Cajun cuisines unique from each other. We'll tell you exactly how both these great cuisines differ from each other. 

📝 Same state but different places! 

People think that just because Creole and Cajun cuisines are from Louisiana, it makes them the same as each other. But Louisiana in itself is a big state with different and diverse regions. Creole and Cajun are just two parts of this Louisiana diversity. 

New Orleans is among the most important cities of Louisiana. It is also the major food hub for anyone who wants to try true Louisiana food. But while you can try the best Creole food in New Orleans itself, you cannot say the same for Cajun cuisine. To try authentic Cajun food you need to head to Southwest Louisiana, also known as the Cajun country. 

So what difference can we make from this? In basic terms, we can say that while Creole cuisine is city food, Cajun cuisine is countryside. When we look at their history, this distinction can be seen more clearly. 

👩‍🍳 Same state but different history! 

The Creole people were descendants from the upper class French and Spanish and settled down majorly in the upscale city of New Orleans in Louisiana. This gave them ample ingredients and time to apply the French techniques of cooking. They also had access to rudimentary refrigeration at that time, allowing them to preserve food and keep and use products like butter in their cooking. 

On the opposite side, Cajun people descended from simple French settlers of the Acadia region in Canada. They settled in Southwest Louisiana after being deported by the British in the second half of the 18th century. Unlike their Creole counterparts, the Cajun didn't have access to a wide range of ingredients and had to adjust to their new home. Which led to Cajun cuisine including a lot of local seafood, meat, and vegetables. 

While we are talking about history we should also put another debate to rest when it comes to Creole and Cajun cuisine: which cuisine came first? The answer to this is very clear-cut and recorded in history itself.

Creole cooking goes back to as early as the first half of the 18th century when New Orleans was founded by the French. On the other hand, Cajun cuisine came to Louisiana only in the second half of the 18th century. So yes, Creole cuisine came first. That's also another difference between these two cuisines!

🥘 Different ingredients! 

Creole and Cajun cuisine share both similar ingredients and different ones. Both cuisines have the same holy trinity of green bell peppers, onions, and celery. But there are still plenty of differences when it comes to ingredients between the two cuisines. 

• One easy way to differentiate between Cajun and Creole cuisine is the use of tomatoes. While you'll find plenty of tomatoes in many Creole recipes, Cajun cuisine doesn't use them. 
• Both Creole and Cajun cuisine use roux as the base in many recipes. But the composition of roux is different in both. Creole style roux is closer to the French roux in its use of butter and flour. On the other hand, the Cajun style of roux uses vegetable oil and flour. 

👩‍🍳 Different seasonings! 

Creole and Cajun cuisine share a love of spices. If you want to try making any Cajun or Creole recipe, you need to know their specific seasoning. Using Creole seasoning for any Cajun recipe or vice versa will not only offend people on both sides but also spoil the dish. There are subtle differences between Creole and Cajun seasoning that you need to understand to make your cooking perfect. 

• Both Creole and Cajun cuisine have some spices common between them, like: (1) black pepper; (2) garlic and onion powder; (3) cayenne pepper; (4) dried oregano; (5) paprika. 
• Although both seasonings have paprika in them, Creole seasoning uses it more in its blend. 
• Creole seasoning also uses few ingredients that are not present in Cajun seasoning, such as: (1) sweet basil; (2) celery seed; (3) white pepper. 

Cajun and Creole food despite their differences and similarities are among the most celebrated cuisines America has. We hope the next time you try either of these two great cuisines you would be able to appreciate both of them. But one thing is for sure. Whether you eat Cajun-style gumbo or a Creole-style Jambalaya, you will be having some of the best food America has to offer.