Start with bouillabaisse from the French. Add seafood and cayenne pepper from the Cajuns, okra from African-Americans, sausage from the Germans, rice from the Senegalese, maybe a dash of the Native Americans' filé powder. Stir it all up in the Creoles' black cast iron pot, and you've got gumbo, the official state cuisine of Louisiana.
Eating in Louisiana is more than a pleasurable experience. It's a cultural and historical experience, too – whether you're having an oyster po-boy in New Orleans, pork boudin in Lafayette, a savory meat pie in Natchitoches or any of the state's other delicious, indigenous dishes. Louisiana's unique cuisine delivers flavors that arrived from around the globe and have been melding for centuries. Many visitors come to Louisiana just for the food, and they are never disappointed.
More on Louisiana Food
When traveling to Louisiana, food is on everyone's agenda. Visit our partner site, FoodTrekker.com, to learn more about Louisiana cuisine, restaurants, food history and culinary trails. More
Natchitoches Meat Pie Festival
Invented in Natchitoches in the late-1700s, the meat pie was once a common street food. Now the savory fried pies – containing ground beef and pork, onion, parsley and spices in a flaky, golden brown pastry shell – star in the annual Natchitoches Meat Pie Festival, held every fall. Each year, cooks compete in recipe contests, gourmands battle to see who can consume the most pies, and triathletes vie for the top spot in the Meat Pie Tri. More
Recipes
The best way to experience Louisiana's food is to visit Louisiana. Book your trip now, and experience Louisiana's unique cuisine in its natural habitat. You'll find out our food is who we are. Perhaps more than any other place, our food is a product of our geography, our history, our culture, our people. The menus found in Louisiana's restaurants are veritable history books. Click any of the links on this page for more information on the cuisine of Louisiana. But remember, the best way to experience our food is not by reading about it. More
There is so much to see and do in Louisiana. Here are a few ideas to get you started.