Charlotte’s Best Black and Minority Owned Restaurants
Charlotte, North Carolina, is a vibrant and growing city with a rich culinary history. From soul food to Ethiopian cuisine, Southern to Caribbean, Charlotte's minority-owned restaurants have become staples on the food scene with a diverse range of flavors and dining experiences. Leah & Louise is a popular spot
Turducken
It’s one of those holiday dishes folks shake their heads at, chalking it up to the crazy culinary people of South Louisiana. Even the name brings forth a laugh. The portmanteau word “turducken,” a mash-up of its key ingredient names, takes a well-seasoned, deboned turkey and stuffs it with boneless chicken that’s been stuffed with boneless duck. In between are layers of well-seasoned Cajun-style dressing and pork stuffing.
Festing in Place
Leave it to New Orleans, Louisiana to figure out how to party during a pandemic. The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival draws upwards of 475,000 music lovers to the city the each year from the last weekend in April through the first weekend in May for seven days of music, art and food. The festival, which draws obsessed fans from all corners of the globe, took place every year for 50 years. Until 2020, which would have been its 51st.
From Lake to Plate
Louisiana is known as a destination for hunting and fishing excursions—the state’s license plates even read “Sportsman’s Paradise.” With access to the Gulf of Mexico, bayous, rivers and estuaries, Louisiana supports a wide variety of fish for sportsmen to pursue. Yet while many folks love to go fishing and eat seafood, most aren’t interested in the cleaning and cooking chores that are part of a great fish dinner.
Hot Sauce Heats Up in Louisiana
Hotsauce.com has more than 50 categories and features over 120 brands of hot sauce from around the globe. While hot sauce has become a major food category and a condiment almost as essential as ketchup these days, it wasn't always that way. There was a time when spicy food in America was credited to the Cajuns of South Louisiana, and Tabasco Brand Pepper Sauce was the leader among pepperheads.
Cajun vs. Creole Cuisine
In Louisiana, Creole and Cajun food often get blended together, but the old timers will tell you they are not the same at all. First, they come from two different regions of the state and, second, they include different ingredients. The main distinction between the two is that Creole food has tomatoes and Cajun doesn't, but of course it's a bit more complicated than that.