Los Angeles herald., 1910-02-25

IHssNSzSFsaltIW O1tLEAINS > - pipptbDiS 1iiO
liza Ml only American city where
IA k n cookery is still a fine art.
III ~ hi The "Cuisine Creole may not
III Ek1I now be as splendid as it was
ESzy1rNI in days "befo' de wah," but it
still retains enough of its
former grandeur to deserve the re-
spectful consideration of any dlscf1m-
mating gourmet. New Orleans is curl
ously divided into two parts-the up
per, or American section, which pre-
sents no special differences from any
other American city, except in the ex-
tent and beauty of its gardens; and the
lower, or French city, which is a bit
of Europe set down on United States
soil, and doesn't resemble anything
else in the whole country. In the for
mer section the Cuisine Creole" flour
ishes sporadically if at all; in the lat
ter it is still to be seen, if pot in its
original perfection, at least in very
interesting state of preservation.
There is nothing particularly dis
tinctiVe about the equipment of the
Creole kitchen. The Creole cook, how
eVer-the real Creole cook, who grows
rarer day by day-is fat old negro
woman, with sleeves rolled UP to her
dimpled ebony elbows and bandana
twisted picturesquely around her head.
She has no science. Her recipes are
les a pinch O. dat and ''erbout d
spoonful er dis" and yer let's it bile
fer er WHILE" but with such crude
methods her genius for cooking finds
expression in some of the most palat-
able dishes that ever smoked before a
gourmand.
Formerly the continental breakfast
was universal in New Orleans. That
is, everybody began the day with a
cup of coffee and slice of cold bread.
At IL o'clock a veritable banquet was
served. But these pleasant customs
have disappeared under the pressure OF
modern business methods. Even in the
Creole section of New Orleans the
first meal is a solid American break
fast. and lunch at midday is a mere
trifle, to tide over the interval till din
ner at D. IN. But the Creole still
begins his dinner in the ola fashion
with an appetizer. At least one KIND
of wine is served daily in every family.
The salad is always eaten Immediately
after the soup, and not, as elsewhere
in the United States, with the roast
Mayonnaise dressing is not as popular
as the French dressing, the latter made
with rather more oil than vinegar The
typical Creole is not much given to
sweets. His dinner consists for the
most part of meats delicarely cooked
and seasoned, with much gravy. the
vegetables will not be numerous, but
the quantity of bread that will be con-
sumed in the course of the meal would
stagger the imagination of the New
England housewife And it may be
noted in passing that the New Orleans
bakeries turn out the best bread in the
world.
The one relic of the old regime that
obtains in New Orleans is the break
fast served at Begue'S and TuJague s.
| These are names to conjure with IN
| New Orleans. Begue's is a restaurant
| over a saloon near the French mar
ket. Originally the proprietor served
an early morning meal for the butch
ers of the market, Gascons all, and
| connoisseurs of meat; then artists and
newspaper men began. to frequent the
place; and so by degrees came others,
until now the IL a. m. table dhote OIL
NJ. Begue is crowded daily, and one
must bespeak a seat at the board long
is advance. Tujague's is similar es,
tablishment, where the old continental
| deieuner may still be procured.
| OF typical creole dishes the first is,
| of course, the gumbo. The name is
known outside of New Orleans, but not
| the thing itself. It's origin is not
| known In one sense it is a soup, but
it is not prepared as soups are. 1t
| is essentially thick brown gravy,
made with onicns, parsley, okra and
flour, the -four Drowned on the stove
! till almost burnt. This gravy should
| have the consistency of stiff paste:
There are scores of different kinds OF
gumbo, but the foregoing is the one
| feature common to them all. BY add
ing file" or the powdered leaves OF
sassafras, the celebrated 'gumbo file'
is produced. There is also the 'gumbo-
aux-harbes," which is produced by
omitting the file and substituting bay
leaves. thyme, sweet marjoram, sorrel,
mustard leaves, cabbage and spinach
These herbs are boiled in the afore-
mentioned thick brown gravy. Gum bo-
aux-herbes is not considered rat
dish, and consequently is feature OF
| the Lenten menu in Catholic New
| Orleans.
Gumbo can also be made of oysters,
crabs. shrimp, ham, sausage, or of any
kind of meat. 1t is not CONSIDERED
quite ethical to combine all of these
ingredients in one gumbo, though TINS
is occasionally done. Chicken gumpo
is nerhaps. the choicest variety. In
Acadian Louisiana-in the Teche coun-
trv which Longfellow describes IN ms
noem of vangeline"-chicken gumbo
IS considered the chief delicacy pos
| sible to procure. To be known as a
ling''-Oh, no, it happens every day
/ (r,,y, nv northern mem