Creole vs. Cajun Food: What Are the Differences?

Louisiana is home to Cajun and Creole cultures, which share many similarities. After all, you can enjoy a bowl of gumbo in either a Cajun or Creole restaurant. Both cuisines shine delicious light on Louisiana’s bounty from land and sea, and both continue to evolve.

Cajun and Creole cuisines have important distinctions that are reflected in the dishes served in restaurants and in homes. Here’s what to know.

The history of Cajun cuisine

Cajun Country, also known as Acadiana, is a 22-parish region located in southwestern Louisiana. The original Acadians were peasants who had lived primarily in the rural areas of western France and became tired of French rule. During the 17th century, many of these people moved to Acadie, now present-day Nova Scotia. When the colony came under British rule in the mid-18th century, thousands of Acadians were forcibly exiled to Europe and the British colonies as part of Le Grand Dérangement, or Expulsion of the Acadians. They eventually made their way to Louisiana, which was then a Spanish province.

These settlers may have brought with them traditional French recipes, but their cooking evolved. “[Cajuns] had crawfish, crabs, pigs, and sugar. They had to learn to work with those things or starve,” says Isaac Toups, chef and owner of Toups’ Meatery in New Orleans, who grew up in a Cajun household in Rayne, Louisiana.

Mirepoix, the French base of carrot, onion, and celery, was one forced evolution. 

“Carrots don’t grow in swamps,” Toups says with a laugh. “Today, our ‘holy trinity’ is celery, onion, and bell pepper. We add ‘the pope’s hat,’ which is garlic. I think garlic is one of the most important ingredients in Cajun cooking.”

“We also do not mix our land and sea,” he continues. “There’s no seafood in our chicken gumbo, or meat in our couvillion [another term for court-bouillon, a seasoned liquid used for poaching seafood or meat]. We don’t put tomato in our gumbo, either. However, I think people do make a big fuss over these unwritten rules. As Cajuns, we break rules all the time. When you have immigrant food, you must let it evolve.”

The history of Creole cuisine

Whereas Cajun culture specifically refers to French settlers in Acadiana and their descendants, the origins of Creole culture are harder to pinpoint. 

In 17th century New Orleans, this term referred to people who were born in the New World to parents born elsewhere, such as European immigrants and enslaved Africans, before the founding of the United States. The term also refers to the descendants of these first-generation Americans. 

“[Creole] is a term that comes from the era of colonialism in America, and in Louisiana, you always saw French heritage with Creole people,” says Eric Seiferth, curator and historian at the The Historic New Orleans Collection. 

“Around the rest of America, you rarely see people identifying their European heritage as Creole, but in the 1800s they would have, and people continue to in Louisiana,” says Seiferth. “So, the term refers to people with a mix of French, Spanish, African and/or Native American ancestry. It can be a misunderstood term now.” Creole cuisine is also generally associated more with the city of New Orleans than the rural areas surrounding the city.  

When it comes to cuisine, there can be a misunderstanding that Creole food is merely fancy Cajun. That’s not correct. 

“It’s not entirely untrue, either,” says Tommy DiGiovanni, executive chef at Arnaud’s restaurant for the last 27 years. Arnaud’s, which opened in 1918, boasts 17 opulent dining rooms that can seat more than 1,000 guests. It’s arguably America’s foremost Creole fine-dining establishment, and one of the largest restaurants in the nation.

“Like the Cajuns, the Creoles came from refugees and immigrants,” says DiGiovanni. “New Orleans was a prosperous port city. It had access to both the Mississippi River and to the Gulf,” which resulted in more seafood ingredients like oysters and fresh fish. 

DiGiovanni says the cosmopolitan nature of Creole culture also yielded more European influences like brandy, rum, and dairy in their recipes.

What are the differences between Cajun and Creole cuisine?

Although Creole and Cajun recipes vary from cook to cook, these are some of the common differences you might find between the two cuisines. 

Ingredients 

Both Cajun and Creole cuisine rely on the aforementioned “holy trinity” of onions, celery, and bell peppers to form the foundation of dishes like gumbo, jambalaya, and red beans and rice. They share many other ingredients, too, such as rice and smoky andouille sausage.

What’s more, Cajun and Creole culture were both influenced by free people of color, enslaved Africans, and Native American tribes. For example, filé powder or powdered sassafras leaves, a common thickening agent for gumbo, was a contribution of Choctaw Native Americans and possibly other Native Americans. Okra was brought to Louisiana by enslaved people from Africa. 

How do these cuisines differ? “The tomato is important to Creole,” says DiGiovanni, “whereas crawfish are a key Cajun ingredient.” Cajun food is often considered spicier than Creole food, thanks to ingredients like cayenne and black pepper. Garlic and smoked pork are also common flavors in Cajun cuisine. 

Creole cooking generally incorporates more dairy ingredients, such as butter and cream.

Roux 

Both cuisines use a roux, or combination of fat and flour, in dishes like gumbo. However, Creole roux is made with butter and flour, as it is in France, while a Cajun roux is typically made with oil and lard or flour, and is cooked for longer to develop more flavor. As such, Cajun stews and soups tend to be darker than Creole versions. 

Gumbo 

Both cultures have gumbo, but in Cajun country, the seafood version is called a “stew.” Creole versions of gumbo often include tomatoes, while Cajun recipes leave it out. Due to the differing styles of roux outlined above, Creole gumbos are often thinner in texture, while Cajun gumbos are thicker and darker. Creole gumbo recipes might include andouille sausage and shrimp, while Cajun versions will put the focus on meat, with andouille sausage and chicken.

Cajun vs. Creole seasoning

Traditional Cajun seasoning often includes cayenne, ground black pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and salt. Creole seasoning is similar, but tends to also include more dried herbs like ground thyme, basil, and oregano. 

Common dishes

Creole cornerstones include shrimp étouffée, turtle soup, beignets, bread pudding, and oysters stewed in cream. Cajuns might serve you rustic catfish court-bouillon, alligator sausage, or jambalaya. 

If you’re truly lucky, you could score an invite to a Cajun boucherie, a community ritual of butchering a fatted hog to prepare with the townsfolk.

Both Creole and Cajun cuisine remain tough to define. “Both these cuisines were born from immigrants and, in a way, are always evolving,” says DiGiovanni. “In the 1930s and ‘40s, the Italians arrived. In the 1980s, Louisiana’s Vietnamese population grew. After Hurricane Katrina, the Hispanic community thrived.”

“You have to then ask, ‘What is Creole to them? What is Cajun? How did they influence it?’ You can find Creole in a white-tablecloth restaurant, but also in a dive bar. Is red beans and rice Creole? Sure. Bread pudding? Yes. Is fried chicken? Maybe? It’s also soul food. It’s also Cajun. These cuisines often share and morph.” 

As for Toups, he has one hard rule. “If you put tomatoes in my gumbo, it’s not correct. But, if it’s delicious, I’ll definitely still eat it.”