subject: What is the History of Cajun People? [print this page] What is the History of Cajun People? What is the History of Cajun People?
Authentic Cajun people are relatively few in number. They are few "true" Cajuns that speak Cajun French remaining. In fact the last census revealed that there are currently less than ten thousand native speakers of Cajun French remaining in Louisiana. However at one time this was a thriving culture. The Word Cajun originates from the word Arcadia a region in Eastern Canada. These were French Settlers who were forced to relocate to the swamps of south Louisiana at the hands of the British. These "Cajun People" developed a very rich and unique culture.
Cajuns first of all have a unique language as touched on. Cajun French is a dialect of Parisian French however it has its own uniqueness. First of all the accent is much less nasal than that of traditional French, being more flat in sound. It also has an amalgamation of Spanish and English words. For instance the Parisian word for car is voiture, whereas the Cajun French word for car is char.
Just as French people have their own cuisine so do Cajun people. It is very simple, yet profoundly flavorful in nature. Cajun settlers had to live off the land and much of their cuisine is indigenous to the swamps of Louisiana. Common meats include chicken, gizzard and pork. Also crawfish, a small lobster-like, swamp dwelling,creature is also very popular. These foods are often cooked in a thick stew served over rice. Gumbo is one important Cajun dish cooked in this fashion that is popular today. Different types of cajun seasoning are also very popular including paprika, cayenne pepper, thyme, parsley, garlic and salt. These variety of spices mixed together have become so popular that many different Cajun seasonings are available for purchase in grocery stores.
