Louisiana Food Beyond New Orleans: A Cajun Country Drive

Louisiana food beyond New Orleans is found on small roads, in meat markets and gas station counters, where boudin and cracklins are sold by the pound and eaten in the car. Cajun country, or Acadiana, lies around Lafayette, and its cooking is built on pork, rice and seafood.

Pick a base such as Lafayette and drive loops of an hour or so. A route through Opelousas, Scott, Breaux Bridge and Maurice covers many shops.

Louisiana food beyond New Orleans: what to know first

New Orleans cooks Creole food, shaped by the city's trading history. Cajun cooking, from the countryside west of the city, is rooted in the Acadian people who settled there and in rural cooking: one-pot dishes, smoked meats and rice. The two overlap, and a drive between them is a good way to taste the difference.

Distances are longer than they look. Plan on two or three stops a day, with a long lunch, and leave time to chat. People in small shops are generous with advice.

What is Cajun country food?

The classics include gumbo, a rich stew thickened with roux or okra; etouffee, shellfish smothered in a roux-based sauce over rice; jambalaya, a one-pot rice dish with sausage and chicken; and boudin, a sausage of rice and pork. Crawfish boils happen in spring, and cochon de lait, a roast suckling pig, is a festival dish.

Many of these dishes started as ways to feed large families from a single pot. Order them at a lunch counter or a family restaurant, not only in a dining room.

Lafayette boudin: where to start

Boudin is pork, rice, onion and seasoning stuffed into a casing, steamed and eaten warm. In Lafayette, smokehouses sell boudin and smoked meats, in nearby Opelousas shops sell boudin and boudin balls, and meat markets in towns like Scott make a good stop on the way.

Tell the counter how many links you want and eat one straight away. Many people squeeze the filling out of the casing and eat it from the paper. Some shops sell out of boudin by early afternoon, so go before then.

Louisiana cracklins: what they are

Cracklins, also called cracklings, are pieces of pork skin and fat fried until crisp. They are sold hot in paper bags, sometimes with a little meat attached, and are salty, rich and extremely good at the moment they come out of the fryer. Eat them the day you buy them.

Boudin and cracklins are often sold in the same shops, so buy both while the fryer is hot. A bag of each and a cold drink make a classic road snack.

Louisiana road trip food: planning the stops

Pick a base such as Lafayette and drive loops of an hour or so. A route through Opelousas, Scott, Breaux Bridge and Maurice covers many of the best boudin shops, and the roads between pass through sugar cane and rice fields. Bring a cooler for the boudin you take home.

Carry cash for small shops, in case their card systems are down. Napkins and wet wipes are your friends.

What else is worth tasting in Cajun country?

Look for pork-based and rice-based specialties: smoked sausage called andouille, tasso (spicy smoked pork used for seasoning), rice and gravy, and stuffed peppers or stuffed turkey wings at plate lunch counters. Boiled crawfish and peeled tails are sold by the pound in season, and fried catfish and shrimp po' boys are on many menus. Pecan pralines, sugar cane syrup and pies finish the meal.

Ask about the daily special, usually posted on a whiteboard. In Cajun country, it is often what the cook made for family that morning.

When is the best time to go?

Spring is crawfish season, and boils are everywhere from February to June. Fall is cooler and has festivals, and the winter months are good for gumbo. Summer is hot and humid, and hurricane season runs from June through November, so keep your plans flexible.

Many food festivals are held in the fall and spring.

How do you eat like a local?

Ask what is fresh and what is good that day. Order at the counter, eat at a picnic table or in the car and talk to the person behind you. A plate lunch, with a meat, rice and gravy and two sides, is the usual midday meal and is often cheap. Sweet tea or a cold local beer is the drink.

You will hear French at some tables and see signs for dances and festivals. Take your time.

Where should you go next?

New Orleans sweets are a state of their own, and the New Orleans praline and dessert list guide shows how to rate them. For a different Southern coast, read the South Carolina food guide, and for another sandwich-led region see the Tampa Cuban sandwich guide. Texas is next door: see food worth a drive in Texas. All cities are on the US guides page.

After a boudin crawl, the links start to blur. Rate each one in the Mosey app, and keep a Cajun country list of the counters you would stop at again.