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Port of Call: Enjoying the Food of New Orleans

Port of Call: Enjoying the Food of New Orleans

Mar. 28th, 2022

Each month, the participating dietary and life enrichment teams in the communities that Saber Healthcare provides services to will offer monthly Port of Call programs. On Port of Call days, residents will enjoy delicious food and fun activities from a different “port,” which is always a different country or city.

As part of National Nutrition Month, we are looking back on our New Orleans Port of Call. New Orleans is known for its Creole and Cajun cuisine which is a reflection of the culture from the city and surrounding areas along the Mississippi River.

New Orleans: Creole and Cajun Food

Some of the earliest settlers in New Orleans were the Creoles, who were descendants of those who first arrived in Louisiana. Many of these immigrants came from France and Spain, but a portion of the population possessed a Native American and West African lineage as well.1

The French, Spanish, West African, and Native American food traditions all mixed together to create Creole cuisine. Creole meals are very similar to French cuisine in the sauces and preparation methods used. Creole dishes often include the ingredients onions, bell peppers, celery, tomatoes, and okra.1

It is relatively difficult to find records of early Creole cuisine from 1800 to 1840 because most of it took place at home. As a result, many recipes were passed down through word of mouth. In fact, even the most authentic Creole food today is found in domestic kitchens.2

One early Creole proverb, “Misé fe macaque mangé piment (“Misery makes the monkey eat red pepper”), comes from the fact that peppers are an important cooking ingredient in this culture. After the Spanish period, citizens of New Orleans were relatively limited to what they could grow or find off the land. As a result, many households grew one or two varieties of hot peppers to add flavor to their meals.3

Creole cooking is similar to Cajun cooking, and the difference is Creole food usually uses tomatoes as a base while Cajun food does not. Some foods commonly eaten in Creole cuisine include gumbo, shrimp, redfish, and grits. Cajun foods are often meat-heavy, including dishes such as jambalaya and boudin. While Cajun food is also served in New Orleans, it is more common in Breaux Bridge and Lafayette.4

Rice is another important ingredient found in much of Creole and Cajun cooking, with people who live in Louisiana eating more rice than most Americans. Most Creole dishes are cooled off by the addition of rice. Deep-fried rice balls were also once seen as an early-morning breakfast food and sold throughout the city.5

Louisiana currently produces 850 million pounds of seafood each year, which makes it the second largest seafood producer in the United States. Many meals found in New Orleans contain seafood such as shrimp, crawfish, crab, finfish, oysters, and alligator.6

New Orleans Port of Call

In February, the participating dietary and life enrichment teams cooked traditional New Orleans food and offered fun New Orleans based activities for our Port of Call program. Each participating team used the recipe provided by Chef Moe, Executive Director of Culinary, to help create a New Orleans dish that embodies the taste of Louisiana!

For the New Orleans Port of Call, the primary meal was a Cajun-style shrimp recipe. Cajun-style shrimp is a popular meal in New Orleans, with many restaurants offering similar meals within the city.

Anthony Shivone, Dietary Food Service Supervisor, and his culinary team at Whitestone Care Center took this recipe and added a twist by creating a Holy Trinity, which is the Creole version of Mirepoix, a flavor typically made by blending onions, carrots, and celery.

“We also added Andouille sausage to create a meat that embodies a more authentic Creole experience,” Shivone told us.

The Whitestone Care Center team then served this delicious New Orleans dish over grits alongside a vegetable medley to add color and flavor.

For activities, Whitestone Care Center had to make some changes due to the pandemic. The life enrichment department wanted the residents to enjoy their day and do as much as possible.

They decided to tackle Mardi Gras, and the activities team started a day ahead of time. The residents were able to create their very own Mardi Gras masks with beads.

Other activities included live bingo on the television, Mardi Gras related puzzles, and watching the Mardi Gras parade. The residents at Whitestone Care Center enjoyed fun, socially distanced carnival games. They also hosted a game of kerplunk, spin the wheel games, and a version of “kick the can” using bean bags.

Saber Healthcare Port of Call

Here at Saber Healthcare, our dietary departments work each day to help our residents meet their nutritional goals. They always strive to plan and prepare meals that not only taste great, but meet the requirements for a healthy lifestyle.

If you’re interested in joining our dietary department, click here to apply to our open positions.

Saber Healthcare is an organization dedicated to providing consultant services to long term care providers. This article is for informational purposes and is not meant to be seen as professional advice. Please consult with a medical expert before relying on the information provided.

Sources

  1. “Cuisine of New Orleans.” Wikipedia. Last Updated 1 November 2021. Accessed 15 March 2022. Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuisine_of_New_Orleans
  2. “New Orleans history explored through its restaurants: a 1989 story from our archives.” NOLA. 23 October 2013. Accessed 15 March 2022. Link: https://www.nola.com/entertainment_life/eat-drink/article_e69d0657-950e-50d6-9542-9a28133f8fa8.html
  3. “A True And Delectable History Of Creole Cooking.” American Heritage Publishing Co. Accessed 15 March 2022. Link: https://www.americanheritage.com/true-and-delectable-history-creole-cooking#4
  4. “CAJUN OR CREOLE: WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?” New Orleans.com. Accessed 15 March 2022. Link: https://www.neworleans.com/restaurants/where-to-eat/cajun-or-creole/#:~:text=Cajun%20and%20Creole%20food%20are,traditional%20Cajun%20food%20does%20not.
  5. Goodbody, Mary. “Secrets of Creole and Cajun Food.” The Daily Beast. Last Updated 14 July 2017. Accessed 15 March 2022. Link: https://www.thedailybeast.com/secrets-of-creole-and-cajun-food#:~:text=Originating%20in%20New%20Orleans%2C%20Creole,African%2C%20and%20Native%20American%20cooking.
  6. “About.” Louisiana Seafood. Accessed 15 March 2022. Link: https://www.louisianaseafood.com/about#:~:text=As%20a%20state%2C%20Louisiana%20produces,in%20tourism%20by%20connecting%20food%2D