Cajun Cuisine - A Guide to Cajun Cooking  

Couche couche (koosh koosh) - A cornmeal cereal, usually eaten with milk or syrup.

Court bouillon (coo bee YAN) - A thick, rich, spicy fish stew or soup made with tomatoes, onions and sometimes mixed vegetables, served over rice.

Cracklins - Fried strips of pork skin, often including pieces of meat and fat.  Snack food.

Crappie (CROP ee) - Also called sac-a-lait (SOCK a lay), a large bream-like food fish.

Crawfish - Sometimes spelled "crayfish" but always pronounced crawfish. Resembling toy lobsters, these little critters are known locally as "mudbugs" because they live in the mud of freshwater streams. They are served in a variety of ways, including boiled, fried, and in etouffee.

Creole (CREE ol) - From the Spanish word “criollo,” or “child of the colonies.”  Originally, the French and Spanish sophisticated city or plantation dwellers who either migrated from Europe or were born in Louisiana .  Later expanded to describe slaves born in the colonies, rather than in Africa .  Today in South Louisiana , it often refers to Creoles of Color, members of the black French-speaking community, who have a unique culture and music (Zydeco).  The term also includes a type of cuisine and a style of architecture.

Dirty Rice - Chicken giblets (gizzards or livers) sautéed with cooked rice, bell peppers, onion, celery, and seasonings.

Dressed - When referring to a sandwich or Po-Boy this means add mayonnaise, lettuce, and tomatoes.

Etoufée (eh too fay) - A Cajun word for sautéing.  Meat or seafood, cooked with a roux and the Cajun "Holy Trinity" (onions, celery, and bell pepper).  Usually served with rice.

File (FEE lay) - Ground sassafras leaves, added at the end of cooking, used to season and thicken, among other things, gumbo.  Introduced to the French by local Indian tribes.

Grillades (GREE yads) - Squares of broiled beef or veal. Grillades and grits is a popular breakfast, especially in New Orleans .

Grits - Coarsely ground wheat or corn, cooked down in water and served with salt and butter. Somewhat similar in appearance to mashed potatoes, but the taste is closer to corn.

Gumbo (gum-boe) - A Cajun/Creole delicacy of South Louisiana , reflecting its rich history:  Wild game or seafood (from the Acadians), thickened with okra (from the Africans), file (from the Indians), and roux (from the French).  A thick, robust soup with thousands of variations, including chicken and andouille, shrimp, seafood gumbos. 

Hushpuppies - A cornbread-type mixture, formed into balls and fried until crispy and golden on the outside.

Jambalaya (jam buh LY uh) - Chef’s choice of meats (ham, sausage, shrimp, chicken, tasso) and chopped vegetables (tomatoes, celery, onions) cooked with seasonings, and combined with rice.

King Cake (Mardi Gras) - A ring-shaped pastry, decorated with colored sugar in the traditional Mardi Gras colors of purple, green, and gold (representing justice, faith, and power), with a small plastic (or wooden) baby hidden inside the cake:  Custom requires that the person who gets the baby in his slice of cake must provide the next King Cake.

Mirliton (MELe taun) - A hard-shelled vegetable pear with edible innards, it is cooked like squash and stuffed with either ham or shrimp and spicy dressing.