It's no secret that two of my most favorite cooking styles are Italian-Creole and Sicilian-Creole, but I am still waiting for a cookbook devoted to them. To be honest, there's not a lot written about the history of the Sicilian immigrants who settled in Louisiana. InMamasKitchen.Com writes: "Once in bayou country, the food traditions they brought with them from Italy encountered established Creole cooking, and their adaptations formed a sub-cuisine" - which helps dispel the myth that Louisiana is solely "Cajun Country." Writer Terry Thompson-Anderson devoted a chapter of her book, Cajun-Creole Cooking to Creole-Italian dishes. Here are a few excerpts: "In the late 1800's, large numbers of immigrants from Sicily began to settle in South Louisiana. Many stayed in New Orleans to establish businesses. With the arrival of the Italians, a new dimension was added to Creole food. Like the many other earlier influences, Italian cuisine contributed subtle nuances of taste. From the Italians the Creoles cultivated a love of garlic." - "The most unique feature of the cuisine is its tomato sauce, commonly referred to as "red gravy" or "tomato gravy." - "Creole-Italians incorporate local fish and shellfish in their cooking with delicious results in dishes such as Crawfish Fettuccine, Crabmeat in Garlic-Cream Sauce, and many more." - Coming up next, more on Italian-Creole red gravy.
Comments