If you love Cajun cuisine, perhaps you’ve already made a culinary pilgrimage to New Orleans, Baton Rouge, or Lafayette to enjoy classic preparations, such as jambalaya and gumbo. Thankfully, you can savor these dishes without traveling to Louisiana. Coastal communities with access to fresh seafood across America embrace Cajun-style cooking. Here’s a short primer on its origins.

Where Does “Cajun” Come From?

A Cajun is a Louisianian descended from French settlers driven from their homes in Acadia—an early name for Nova Scotia—by the British at the time of the French and Indian War (1756–1763). Additional waves of French-speaking Canadian migrants fled south to Louisiana during the remainder of the 18th century, establishing small communities along the Gulf of Mexico and upriver from New Orleans.

What Is Cajun Cuisine?

Cross-cultural influences from other ethnic groups, including African and Native Americans as well as the Irish, Italians, and Spanish, have contributed to the evolution of Cajun cooking. Nonetheless, a few French-inspired essentials remain intact. A roux—a mixture of flour and fat used to thicken soups and sauces—is a mainstay, as is mirepoix, a sauteed combination of aromatics.

In classic French cuisine, carrots, onion, and celery constitute a mirepoix. Cajuns substituted carrots with green peppers, which were available locally. The ingredients on hand in the subtropical climate of Louisiana led to the integration of rice, black pepper, cayenne, okra, corn, garlic, and lots of shellfish, catfish, and redfish. Filé—a powder ground from the leaves of the sassafras tree—is another characteristically Cajun addition to sauces.

What’s the Secret?

The secret of many cuisines, as many cooks know, is in the sauce. Starting with a softened mirepoix of onions, green bell pepper, and celery, Cajun dishes develop intense flavors with long, slow simmering and seasoning from bay leaves, garlic, parsley, and cayenne. Traditionally, many Cajun dishes are often served alongside a vinegary hot sauce of tabasco peppers.

No history of Cajun food would be complete without mentioning the tradition of celebrating food and friendship with hearty, flavorful seafood boils. Cajuns are famous for hosting friends and families in their backyards with mounds of boiled shellfish and vegetables piled onto a single table. Everyone helps themselves, and no one walks away hungry.

Dinner is a celebration when you choose to eat at Cajun King on Oahu. They have plenty of room to host large parties, and their menu of Cajun specialties is available for carryout or dine-in. Their entrees will satisfy all your Cajun cravings, including combinations of shellfish and sausage. Visit them online to view their extensive menu, or call (808) 484-2221 to place a takeout order or reserve a table.