French Canadians from Nova Scotia settled in Louisiana, bringing with them their own cuisine and adding to it local spices and flavours. This resulted in a distinctive cuisine using spices includ8ing paprika, cumin and mustard seeds and cayenne, lots of green peppers, sharp dried celery powder (always detectable in their barbeque sauces) and with heavy use of thyme and oregano. These items are principally applied to barbecued meats. Cajun cuisine also makes great use of gumbo or okra, and crayfish, and rice is the staple starch.

A sandwich of typical Cajun style from Louisiana, this is a sandwich made by splitting a small crusty loaf lengthways, digging a dip into the interior bread and then filling it with whatever is available. It is then pressed so that juices run into the bread.

A sandwich of typical Cajun style from Louisiana, this is a sandwich made by splitting a small crusty loaf lengthways, digging a dip into the interior bread and then filling it with whatever is available. It is then pressed so that juices run into the bread.