Food Dude: Mardi Gras is a good time to savor Cajun and Creole tastes

Put simply: Cajun is country food; Creole is from city folk.

Cajuns are descendants of French settlers who in the mid-18th century were shooed by the British from a northeastern colony they built, called Acadia. Acadians left their Nova Scotian and eastern Maine confines in a huff and landed in Louisiana. That's because a good number of French already lived in Louisiana. But so did a lot Spanish and a lot of Africans, primarily in and around New Orleans. Creole comes from the Spanish word criollo, which was the brand put upon American-born Spaniards.

You know the good times were rollin' just as much then as they are now, so pretty soon those cultures crossed, and the Creole die we know now was cast.

As for the food, Cajun and Creole have more in common than they'd probably like to admit. Both make gumbo. The Creole version is usually made with light roux and okra as thickener, since okra came to Louisiana from Africa. Cajun gumbo is made with dark roux and is more likely to include chicken and sausage and use file, which is ground sassafras leaves.

But there are differences, too. Jambalaya is a Cajun dish. It's a prime example of the differences. Country food typically originates from resourcefulness. My cotton-farming grandmother used to make soup on Sunday from the week's leftovers. Jambalaya is a prime example of that country mindset.

Creole dishes are more refined, representing the advantages of city life, which included spices from around the world. Toss in a little French technique, and you've got a distinct, indigenous cuisine. Shrimp Creole is about as Creole as Creole gets. I've got a recipe to share. Don't be scared away by the necessity for stock. Shrimp stock isn't the all-day affair of its beef and chicken cousins. The stock in this recipe is the backbone that puts heat and sweet into the classic flavor you expect.

Serves 4

2 pounds Gulf shrimp, head on if you can find it, peeled and deveined (save shells and heads to make Shrimp Stock)

3 tablespoons butter

1 white onion, finely chopped

1 green pepper, finely chopped