Louisiana Essay

America is known as a melting pot. A place that contains numerous cultural influences and different ethnic groups. These ethnic groups make up the unique food culture known as the American cuisine. One of the states that had, and still currently do, one of the most diverse populations in the beginnings of the new world is Louisiana. Louisiana is located in the plantation south on the gulf coast of Mexico. Louisiana is a very popular state. With seven flags having flown over its territories since it was rediscovered in the 1700s, there are a huge number of social, cultural, political, and artistic lifestyles. The geographical set up of this state is a contributor to why so many different countries wanted to settle in this area. The climate

The agriculture is rich. Not only is there a rich agricultural climate to desire, but Louisiana is also a large area. It’s largest city, New Orleans is comparable to Cairo, New Delhi, and Shanghai and stretches about 349.8 square miles. There is a population of over 1.3 million just in New Orleans! The state itself stretches 52.378 thousand square miles with a population of over 4.6 million. Louisiana is commonly associated with its most popular ethnic backgrounds of the French and Africans that were brought to the country for slavery purposes. As mentioned before, Louisiana has a rich agriculture ideal for growing crops like cotton. Cotton was abundant when produced and slave masters weren’t picking that cotton themselves, the slaves were. Cotton and tobacco were the number one crops produced over this time period, thus more and more slaves were needed to keep up with the amount of cotton produced. This is what created the influx of Africans landing in

The melting pot of cultures created a cuisine that is incomparable to anything that exists today. Louisiana is infamous for their rich dishes such as Gumbo or étouffée and sweet treats like beignets. Cajun cuisine was developed by the Cajun-Acadians in the 1800s. After the Acadian farmers settled, their meals depended on what was available to them at that time. Fresh and salt water fish like oysters, crab, alligator, crawfish, and catfish are extremely popular in this cuisine due to Louisiana being on the Gulf of Mexico and the local bayous. They were used to eating fish like salmon and lobster, so the change required learning how to cook and deal with these types of foods. Rice, potatoes, the holy Trinity, and spices like cayenne pepper was introduced to the cuisine from Native, African, and Spanish American cuisine. All of these components created great dishes like jambalaya, gumbo, and boudin out of these saiid ingredients that are widely known and enjoyed across the country and world. The love for seafood and food in general also brought people together for seafood boils, boucherie’s or whole pig roasts, etc. It is not just about eating the food; it is also about preparing it and enjoying it with people that you love. Food brings people together and also for bonding amongst people. Festivals like Mardi Gras, a carnival celebration named Fat Tuesday, are huge celebrations that are meant for feasting and