"Cajun food" comes from the deepest Southern parts of Louisiana and Mississippi. Like the area it originated from, Cajun flavor is spicy, rich, and really, really good! A lot of people don’t know that the typical Cajun food was developed by extremely poor people. Refugees and farmers used what they had to feed large families.
This is one reason that rice is a staple in Cajun food. Adding rice to a stew, or a dish, ‘stretched’ the food so that there would be plenty. Rice is still added to Cajun food, even if it is for the love of the flavor, and not for necessity.
Since Cajun people are so close to the Gulf of Mexico, seafood is a big item in their dishes. Favorites are crawfish, catfish, crabs, and oysters. This is another example of the Cajun people living with what they had. Seafood was available, as there were a lot of fisherman, and that’s what they had to eat.
Cajun spices always consist of three things. Bell pepper, onions and celery are the favorite vegetables to add flavor for the Cajun food. It is referred to as the ‘Holy Trinity.’ A couple of other favorites are cayenne pepper and garlic. Cajuns are fond of their spice, and add it to most dishes that they prepare.