Road Treats in the Abbeville LA Area–We are Eating Good!

There is no doubt one of the great things about the Acadian region of Louisiana is the delicious food made in the area. Acadiana is known for its Cajun styled food and for the great fresh seafood. Some folks often lump Cajun food with Creole style food despite the quite different styles.

The Cajun style of cooking is named after the French-speaking Acadian people. The cuisine consists mainly of locally available ingredients and an authentic Cajun meal will usually consist of steamed rice with a vegetable and a meat (commonly special made sausages or some type of seafood). Some popular Cajun dishes are Gumbo, Jambalaya, Boiled Crawfish, as well as Rice, Gravy and Boudin.

Creole cuisine is a style of cooking originating in Louisiana which blends French, Spanish and West African cuisines resulting in spicier dishes than what is known as Cajun cooking. Some of their favorites include Gumbo and Jambalaya similar to Cajun cuisine (although spicier) as well as Red Beans and Rice, Shrimp Creole and Creole Chicken.

There are similarities between Cajun and Creole cuisines since they both center around dishes often made with aromatic vegetables such as green bell pepper, onion, and celery (often referred to as the holy trinity by Cajun chefs). The biggest difference between the two styles of cooking are the spices. Creole chefs use a lot of cayenne or red peppers in their cooking whereas the Cajun Chefs foods are much milder and they don’t usually use any cayenne or red peppers.

In any event no matter what style of cooking you prefer here in Acadiana (you can get both) they are both fabulous. Without the rich culture the Cajuns brought we would have been cheated out of such delectable dishes such as Gumbo, Jambalaya, Andouille sausage, Boiled Crawfish Boudin, Étouffée, and Sauce Piquante. And where else can one find all of the following meats in local restaurants and buthcher shops: Frog Legs, Crawfish, Oysters, Catfish, Red Fish, Shrimp, Turtle and Alligator?!

Some of our favorite  eateries near Betty’s RV Park we have been to this year are Black's Oyster Bar & Seafood, Big John's Seafood Patio. Olde Tyme Grocery, and Suire’s Grocery and Restaurant. A few other great spots we haven't been to yet this year are Dupuy's Seafood and Steak and The Villager’s Cafe.  The Villager’s Cafe has been our favorite place to eat a shrimp po’boy until this year. We discovered Olde Tyme Grocery and their po’boy was out of sight good and sooooooo delish! We also have been told by our friends here at Betty's that we really must try the fried oysters and onion rings at Duffy's and pretty much anything on the menu at Bon Creole.  We are already discussing extending our stay as we have more places to visit than we have days left. 

It is amazing to see all of the activities/festivals/music venues available every time we visit.  We yet to visit Betty's in the Fall yet we hear that many of our friends view this as one of their favorite times to come because of the enormous omelet festival.  I guess any time of year offers a multitude of opportunities for good food along with the unique and wonderful Acadian hospitality.  We love it here although with all the great food so close by it’s really hard not putting on a few pounds while staying at Betty’s RV Park… but really, its worth every pound!