1976 Cookbook, Shrimp Creole, & a Fruit Salad
Shrimp Creole isn't commonly found in vintage Midwest community cookbooks, but we found one - and ate it!
I was surprised to find a Creole and Cajun recipes in a 1976 church cookbook from the First Presbyterian Church United Presbyterian Women’s Guild in Carterville, Illinois. Why, you ask? Well, the answer is simple… Creole and Cajun recipes were not common in the Midwest until the 1980s and 1990s when the cuisines became part of the mainstream American food culture.
Living near a university community - Carterville is located near Southern Illinois University - or being part of the United Presbyterian Women’s Guild may have offered travel to or from Creole country to the author of the recipes.
The two recipes from this cookbook featured on The Davises Eat Shrimp Creole episode include “Shrimp Creole” and “Helengenes Florida Fruit Salad”. I suspect the fruit salad was named for the recipe contributor and her husband… just based on the recipe title.
Urban Sophistication of Creole Cuisine
Shrimp Creole is a Louisiana-style dish made with sautéed shrimp, a rich tomato-based sauce, the holy trinity of onions, celery, and bell peppers, and a blend of herbs (Creole seasoning) and spices. Garlic is often added as well.
Creole cuisine is a mixture of many cultures that was born out of 18th century colonization and 19th century immigration. Native American, French, Spanish, German, West African, English, and Sicilian are all melted together in Creole dishes. A true melting pot, the interweaving of the many cultures gave birth to a new cuisine that was the marriage of various cooking techniques and ingredients.
From a modern perspective, Creole is urban and sophisticated. It came to life in early 1700 La Nouvelle Orléans with rich sauces and spices. Oysters and shrimp are mainstays in Creole dishes and tomatoes often make an appearance. Desserts like beignets, pralines, and Bananas Foster also came from Creole cuisine.
In addition to cultural ingredients, Creole used ingredients brought to New Orleans by the Caribbean trade system, which only fed the amalgamation of the highbrow cuisine. Multiple courses were served during the Creole meal and there was a larger focus on tomatoes and a lighter colored roux than its Cajun cuisine cousin.
Flourishing in the early 1800s, Creole cuisine was firmly established in New Orleans by 1860.
Had it not been for the influx of Americans during post Civil War Reconstruction, Creole might have become a mainstream part of our combined food heritage. As a result of this new population, however, French-speaking Creoles faded into the shadow of new American aristocracy. So did their food.
The Rise of Creole Food
In the 1980s, Creole cuisine, along with Cajun, began to nudge its way into the American household. Paul Prudohmme is often credited with popularizing the Louisiana cuisines after having published his cookbook, “Chef Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen” in 19841.
I think my mom had one of the first copies printed and she very quickly taught herself how to prepare many of the dishes in the book. We ate Creole and Cajun food somewhat regularly after that. I serve Shrimp Creole, Shrimp étouffée, and Jambalaya frequently for dinner.
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