El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-02-21

y FEW ORLEANS is probably the
III only American city where cook
cry is still a fine art The
! Cuisine Creole" may not now be as
splendid as it was in days .'befO' de
wah, but it still retains enough of its
former grandeur to deserve the respect
full consideration of any discriminating
gourmet New Orleans is curiously d.
vided into two parasitic upper, or
American section, which presents no
special differences from any other
American city, except in the extent 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 former section
the Cuisine Creole" flourishes spora-
Ideally if at all; in the latter it is still
to be seen, if not in its original perfec-
ton, at least in q very interesting state
of preservation.
The Creole Kitchen.
There is nothing particularly distinc-
tive about the equipment of the Creole
kitchen. The Creole cook, however
the real Creole cook, who grows rarer
day by days fat old negro woman,
with sleeves rolled up to her dimpIed,
ebony elbows and a bandana twisted
picturesquely around her head. She has
no science. Her recipes are 'Jes' a
pinch O. dat" and "erbout a 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 palatable dishes
that ever smoked before a gourmand.
Formerly, the continental breakfast
was universal in New Orleans. That is.
everybody began the day with cup of
coffee and a slice of cold bread. At
IL o'clock a veritable banquet was
served But these pleasant customs
nave disappeared under the pressure of
modern business meJho Is. Even in the
Creole section Of New ',rleans the first
meal is a solid American breakfast, and
lunch at midday is a mere trifle, to
tide over the interval till dinner at
p. m. But the Creole still begins his
dinner in the old fashion-with an APP
petiser. At least one kind of wine is
served daily In every family.
The Salad.
The salad is always eaten Immediate
ly after the soup. and not, as elseW here
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
typ:oal Creole is not much given to
sweets His dinner consists for the
most part of meats delicately cooked
anu SCdSOHSU, Win nuCn gravy. Inc
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 breakfast
served at Begue's and Tujague's. These
are names TO conjure with in New Or
leans Begue's is a restaurant over a
saloon near the French market. Orig
inally the proprietor served an early
morning meal for the butchers of the
market, Gascons all, and connoiseurs of
meat; then artists and newspaper men
began 10 frequent the place: and so, by
degrees, came others. until now the II
a m. table d'hote Of NJ. Begue is crowd
ed daily, and one must bespeak a seat
at the board long in advance. Tujagues
is a similar establishment, where the
old continental dejeuner may still be
procured.
Creole GumbO.
OF typical Creole dishes. the first is.
Of course. the gumbO. The name is
known outside OF New Orleans. but not
the thing itself. Its origin is not known.
In one sense it is a soup. but it is not
as soups are 1t is essentially
a thick brown gravy, made with onions,
parsley, okra and flour. the flour
Drowned on the stove till almost burnt.
This gravy should have the consistency
Of a stiff paste.
There are scores of different kinds
Of gumbo, but the foregoing is the one
feature common TO them ALL By adding
file" or the powdered leaves of sas-
safras. the celebrated "gumbo file" is
produced There is also the "gumbo 7
AUX Herbes,' which is produced by !
uniting the file and substituting bay
caves, thyme sweet marjoram, sorrel, |
mustard leaves, cabbage and spinach.
These herbs arc boiled in the aforemen- |
ioned thick brown gravy. Guubo aux /
1erbes Is not considered a fat" dish, !
lad consequently is feature of the /
-enten menu in Catholic New Orleans
Many Kinds of Gumbo.
Gumbo can also be made of oysters. /
rabs, shrimp, ham, sausage, or of anv |
Kind OF meat 1t is not considered quite |
'thical to combine all Of these ingre-
lients In one gumbo. though this is oc-
asionally done. Chicken gumbo is.
'rehaps. the choicest variety In Aca-
ian Louisiana-in that Teche country
which LongfellOw describes in his poem
I "Evangeline'- gumbo is con-
idered the chief delicacy possible to
'rocure. To be known as skilled
ID