#298 Cajun v. Creole

I'm still confused about the difference between "Cajun" and "Creole".

The only thing I know for sure is that "Cajun" comes from "Arcadian", and used to mean "Of French anscestry".

The "Creoles" were people of mixed French, African, Spanish, and Native American ancestry who were the original settlers of New Orleans.

One of them, in current use, simply means "native to New Orleans".

The other, in current use, means "of the swamps or bayous", sort of like "mountain man", or "hillbilly", means "of the mountains", where the connotation, good or bad, depends on the speaker and hearer. 

The guide in New Orleans explained which was which, but NOBODY on the tour really remembered which was which after the tour was over.  One of my sisters was born near New Orleans, and I remember thinking during the guide's explanation "oh, that means she can call herself cajun", which would imply that "cajun" is the one that means "native to", but that doesn't fit the history, where the creoles were the natives.  Oh, dear.  I could have thought "cajun" because she was born near, but not in, New Orleans.  I confused myself.

Cajun and creole cuisine are not the same.  One relies more on fats and spices than the other.  The creole dishes use more sauces.  The cajuns use more rice.  I don't remember which one "blackens", and you can't go by northern or tourist menus, because they confuse them too.  

The internet isn't much help, because as the guide said, the terms have changed meaning over the decades, so some websites have the original meaning and some have the new, and they conflict all over the place. 

Common sense and logic would seem to say that Creole is "native to", and Cajun is "bayou folks", but I seem to remember that common sense and logic didn't apply.

Sigh.  So confusing.  Maybe I should have taken notes on the tours. 

Not that it really matters. 

~~Silk