What's the difference between Cajun gumbo and Creole gumbo?

Question

My friend told me Cajun gumbo doesn't use okra, but I thought "gumbo" was an African word for okra.

Answer 1

I've never seen a gumbo referred to as being either cajun or creole, but I have seen certain gumbos that are more commonly found in one cuisine than the other.



One main difference between the two--and there are many--is that cajun cuisine's roots are from the acadians of southern & now mainly southwestern Louisiana while creole cuisine comes from the mixture of french and african traditions and is better represented in the city of New Orleans.



Both can be found in either place, and as much as they are different, they are the same. It'd be like comparing Northern Italian and Sicilian cuisines: very different, but to an outsider, very similar.



There are no set rules differentiating the two's gumbos, though. There are some generalities that sometimes are more popular with one or the other. I've found that duck and andouille gumbo seems to be more popular with cajuns, and seafood gumbo seems to be the standard around new orleans. But, you can easily get a cup of seafood gumbo anywhere in Lafayette, and I'm sure you can find some good duck and andouille in New Orleans.



I've had some cajun people's gumbos that seem to be made with really dark rouxs like Paul Prudhomme, but then again you see these all over New Orleans. I've seen cajuns eating light sipping gumbos made with a blonde roux too. I've heard one cajun argue with another that seafood gumbo shouldn't have chicken or sausage in it while another said, "Throw it all in there."



I've seen people from Lafayette put potato salad in there gumbo--usually you see it with rice--and I've talked to some Louisiana natives that think that's the craziest thing they've ever heard.



Anyways, to answer your question, there are no rules on how exactly to make a gumbo--other than you start with a roux (there are plenty different styles of roux), and add the trinity of onions, celery, and bell pepper. Everyone makes them different. If you walked into a cajun restaurant and then a creole one, they would probably have very different gumbos, but then again, if you walked into ten different creole restaurants, you'd probably get ten different gumbos too.



Below are some very informative links on Wikipedia.

Answer 2

Creole Vs Cajun Food

Answer 3

Cajun - There is a common misconception outside of south Louisiana that Cajun food is hot and spicy. An authentic Cajun dish will usually have a bit of a "kick" but will not be eye-wateringly hot. The Cajun cook does not seek to overpower the dish with simple heat — this is done by the diner at the table if they so wish. Cayenne pepper is the predominant choice of heat during preparation, though ground black pepper, and to a lesser extent white pepper, are used as well. Cajun dishes prepared outside of Louisiana, are often hotter and more heavily seasoned than their Louisiana counterparts, missing the flavor of the original dishes. Even andouille sausage, mild and smoky in Louisiana, gets the pepper treatment elsewhere. This is partially a result of the "Cajun" foods craze of the 1980s, when Cajun-style seasoning was popularized by chef Paul Prudhomme's creation of the very spicy dish called Blackened Redfish at his New Orleans restaurant "K-Paul's". It is also a result of recent "extreme" food fads, where many items are hotter than the originals. Creole - Louisiana Creole cuisine is a style of cooking originating in Louisiana (centered on the Greater New Orleans area) that blends French, Mediterranean, French Caribbean, African, and American influences. It also bears hallmarks of Italian cuisine. It is vaguely similar to Cajun cuisine in ingredients (such as the holy trinity), but the important distinction is that Cajun cuisine arose from the more rustic, provincial French cooking adapted by the Acadians to Louisiana ingredients, whereas the cooking of the Louisiana Creoles tended more toward classical European styles adapted to local foodstuffs. Broadly speaking, the French influence in Cajun cuisine is descended from various French Provincial cuisines of the peasantry, while Creole cuisine evolved in the homes of well-to-do aristocrats, or those who imitated their lifestyle. Although the Creole cuisine is closely identified with New Orleans culture today, much of it evolved in the country plantation estates so beloved of the pre-Civil War Creoles.

Answer 4

Before Katrina, people in New Orleans considered anyone calling creole gumbo. coffee & chickory or red beans and rice, "Cajun food" was considered a Stupid Yankee -- of Stupid Texans by those unfortunately enough to know any. They were very stubborn about it.(Once in a bar, two tourist bragged they were going to Antoine's for some Cajun food. Bartender about threw up.)



Since the storm, the tourist commission thought it a good idea to obscure the difference, so merchants can make more money -- kinda like the two baseball leagues dissolving into ML

Answer 5

Cajun and Creole are used interchangeably often by restaurants. However, growing up in New Orleans, my family called Creole Gumbo one that had a red gravy base and Cajun one that had a brown roux base. The Cajun was also more heavily spiced.



Accurate definitions with much more detail:



Creole mean a mixture. From Spanish 'Criollo' it first referred to Spanish/French ancestry, or Spanish/American or French/American or French/Black. It meant the blood was mixed.



Cajun refers to the people descended from French colonists forcefully deported from Acadia between 1604-1755. Le Grand Derangement (The Exile) was from 1755 on when most Acadians found themselves living in several vastly distant locations during the thirty years following the deportations. Many made their way to Louisiana and became known as Cajuns.

Answer 6

Creole is more sophisticated while cajun is more of an 'old fashioned' style of cooking