The Courir de Mardi Gras

Courir de Mardi Gras costumes

When folks hear Louisiana Mardi Gras, thoughts automatically run to Bourbon Street, beads and bawdy behavior. Many don’t realize that there is another Louisiana Mardi Gras, a country Mardi Gras, that is only found in the rural communities of Acadiana.

The Courir de Mardi Gras, literally the “running of the Mardi Gras,” is still celebrated in rural South Louisiana, but is a far cry from what most people associate with Mardi Gras and Carnival. While the principle is the same, a last day of mischief and revelry before Lent, pageantry and balls are replaced by parody and pranksters.

Once a part of pre-Lenten festivities in most French parts of Louisiana in the 19th century, the Courir de Mardi Gras has ancient roots dating back to medieval rites of passage. During the festivities, a band of revelers don strange disguises and elaborate masks while taking to their horses. Riding wildly through the countryside, they go from farm to farm and beg for chickens or other ingredients for the communal pot of gumbo. They often sing loudly or play pranks until the farmer or homeowner produces something for the pot, usually a live chicken that must be caught. While each band includes an unmasked capitaine to keep the peace, the celebration is still a raucous one.

The tradition was all but forgotten in many parts of Louisiana, but in the mid-20th century it began to make a comeback both in an effort to preserve the Cajun culture and as an alternative to the huge crowds of tourists that descend on New Orleans. Mamou, Eunice, Church Point and a handful of other rural communities feature a Courir de Mardi Gras in the week or so prior to Lent. Always featured is a surplus of chicken and sausage gumbo, music and fun.

The Seven Nations: Native Americans

  



Poverty Point



In order to discover the seven nations and their individual contributions to the table at Restaurant R’evolution, we must begin at the beginning: Native America. Native American culture in Louisiana has existed in the lower Mississippi River Valley for more than 4,000 years, in a place known as Poverty Point. At the time Ramses II was ruling Egypt, Moses was leading the Israelites from bondage and Rome had not yet been founded, Native Americans were living near present-day Delhi, Louisiana. Evidence suggests that they were a trade nation and conducted business throughout the Ouachita, Ozark and Appalachian mountains as well as the Great Lakes region. 

This nation built mounds around their town and pits suggest that there may have existed a municipal water system, fish ponds or farms where a fresh fish supply could exist. Excavations failed to reveal corn, beans or squash, so it's doubtful that these people were farmers. There was probably no need for agriculture because this part of Louisiana teemed with wild plants, game and fish providing a year-round harvest of food without cultivation. Perhaps the most fascinating Poverty Point discovery was the peoples’ ingenious use of in-ground ovens for cooking. Small clay cooking balls were molded from river mud into different shapes and sizes, each creating a different BTU output when heated in wood fires. Yes, they utilized hot rock cooking to prepare their meals.  

 

1720 Colonial Louisiana, Mississippi River
and Native American tribes



By the time Columbus discovered America in 1492, Native tribes such as the Atakapa, Caddo, Tunica, Natchez, Muskogean and Chitamacha tribes shared a common language. The Atakapa people were coastal, living from the Gulf of Mexico to the Bayou Teche. The Caddo people lived near present-day Shreveport; the Tunica near present-day Vicksburg; the others were scattered from Natchitoches to Lake St. Joseph and from Marksville to Alexandria and south.



Before agriculture, hunting and fishing were the natives’ primary food sources. Domesticated animals were unknown to them, and their relationship with wild game and seafood was almost sacred. After the kill, Native American hunters thanked their prey and even said prayers over the bounty. 



The communal hunt



Many believe Native Americans might have been the first wildlife conservationists. They thinned out sick animals, burned the forests to kill ticks and vermin, and one Choctaw chief even regulated deer hunting.The Natchez conducted communal hunts. Several hunters would surround a deer, driving it from side to side until it could be taken by the group. They would then field dress and dry the meat to reduce its weight for the voyage home. They were great butchers, cutting meat in long strips along the muscle, especially from the roast, ribs and shoulder, giving them a steady supply of different cuts of meat throughout the season. When an animal was harvested the meat, skeleton, brain, tongue, liver and heart were consumed. Bones were converted into tools, jewelry, fish hooks, needles and knives. Eventually, tanned hides were made into clothing. 



Catfish, choupique and
spoonbill catfish, as
illustrated by an early
explorer



In the swamps of Louisiana, Native Americans ate muskrats, beavers, opossums, wasps, beetles and lizards. Birds including wild turkeys, quail, ducks and geese were caught on river banks or in shallow water using nets designed to be thrown to capture the prey. Wounded birds were often used as decoys to attract other birds to the area. Near the shallow coastal waters and bays red fish, speckled trout, flounder and mullet were found. Under torch lights made from fat pine and dried cane, fish were speared at night. Fish were often poisoned using horse chestnuts or buckeyes, root of devil’s shoestring or green hickory nuts.  Oysters were abundant in lakes next to Lake Pontchartrain. The Natchez Indians travelled to the mouth of the Mississippi to gather oysters, which they preserved by smoking. They also sought brackish water clams and preferred them to oysters in many cases because of the ease of gathering and opening them. Crabs were available in both fresh and salt water, and refuse heaps show evidence of crawfish and shrimp consumption, as well as turtles, alligators and even snakes. 

An abundant supply of wild plant food may have delayed the acceptance of agriculture among many tribes here in the Bayou State. They used approximately 250 edible wild root plants such as ground nuts, wild sweet potatoes, Jerusalem artichokes and smilax. In Louisiana, the natives enjoyed an abundance of semi-tropical fruit including maypops, mayhaws, plums, wild grapes, persimmons, wild strawberries, blackberries and pawpaws. 


Sassafras leaves



Filé powder or pounded sassafras leaves, used to flavor Louisiana gumbo today, was an important ingredient to Louisiana’s indigenous people.  The stems, blooms, bark, leaves and roots of wild plants were used both nutritionally and medicinally.  As late as the 1930s a Houmas Indian medicine man identified 79 plant cures.  Herbalists carefully observed nature and noted that gathering medicinal herbs was critical to season and time of day.  Medicines were generally made into teas, though poultices were created for healing purposes as well. 



Eventually, Native American tribesmen became farmers and agriculture often influenced where they settled. They preferred to live in areas where rich, fertile soil and natural levees existed to prevent flooding. Corn, beans and squash, which came from Mexico, were staples among Native Americans here in Louisiana. 



Louisiana Native American women weaving cane baskets, 1923



Native Americans became excellent cooks, preparing food by boiling, broiling, roasting, baking and poaching. Small animals were cooked whole and meat was never eaten raw. Soups, porridges, mush and stews often were created using a multitude of ingredients. The Natchez were said to have had 42 ways to prepare corn. It was common for Native Americans to prepare special meals for important guests. Many early explorers, who recorded visits with native tribesmen in their journals, were served corn dishes with boiled turkey and roasted venison as well as smoked bear tongues and paws. 



The Native Americans were masters at sun-drying, salt-curing and smoking meats to infuse flavor. Wild woods such as persimmon, blackberry or the root of the sassafras tree were burned to impart unique smoked flavors to their fish and game. 



Native persimmons



A strong Native American influence will permeate our menu at Restaurant R'evolution. Sassafras will dust the rims of our gumbo bowls and persimmon wood smoke will flavor duck breasts. The Native Americans had a theory: Watch what animals eat and prepare the game with like fruit and nuts for flavor. So naturally, wild fruits and berries will infuse our game sauces. I am certain that our homage to Louisiana’s Native Americans and their exquisite natural flavors will be endless.

The Seven Nations & Defining "Creole"

I sit here in my kitchen today deep in thought, sipping a cup of coffee. The task before me is to define the work that Rick and I are doing in New Orleans to create Restaurant R’evolution.  To be honest, our work was defined more than 300 years ago by the seven nations who arrived on Louisiana’s shores. So, our task should be simple: Respect the past while presenting a new and revolutionary style of Louisiana food to contemporary diners. Well, come to think of it, it’s not an easy task. But, as chefs with a love of cooking and a respect for raw and regional ingredients, I have faith that we will rise to the occasion.

The seven nations – the Native Americans, French, Spanish, Germans, English, Africans and Italians – were the most significant contributors in this impossible-to-replicate experiment that we call Cajun and Creole cuisine. Of course, Cajun and Creole cuisine was not created or invented; it was a process of evolution and adaptation, much like the process that Rick and I are engaged in now.

Indeed, numerous other cultures have arrived in this land fleeing famine, war and homeland hostilities while seeking opportunity, religious freedom, adventure and prosperity. They came from all nations, in great numbers and small. Some arrived from Ireland in 1803. Other Irishmen came between 1830 and 1860, fleeing the “Potato Famine.” Hungarians came and settled around Springfield and Albany in the 1890s, and brought with them a great culture including a version of their language that is still spoken today. Several thousand Croatians from the Dalmatian Coast arrived in the 18^th century and began settling the Gulf Coast. Their fishing communities soon grew around Empire, Buras and Port Sulphur. The Vietnamese arrived after the Vietnam War. They were fishermen and farmers in the old country and took up those roles here, including boat building and net mending. Some of them opened fabulous Vietnamese grocery stores. Immigrants from Belgium, Czechoslovakia, China, Lebanon, Greece and even the Philippines migrated to this great Bayou State. All of these cultures and more joined the Native Americans who were here in the beginning. Needless to say, it was not long before these cultures intermarried.

A term was created to describe the children of the these intermarriages who were born on Louisiana soil: Creole. Few words in American English are as misunderstood or as frequently misused.

The term "Creole" is believed to have derived from the Latin word “creare” meaning “to create.”  Originating in the Western Hemisphere, the term “Creole” was used about 1590 by Father de Acosta, a Spanish priest, to distinguish newborn West Indies children from everyone else. Eventually, it was used to describe everything in Louisiana, from vegetables to furniture; even the state itself became known as the “Creole State.”

Numerous writers and historians over the years tried diligently to define "Creole." Today, with 300 years of their vision and expertise, we now know and can clearly debate that Creole is defined as anyone born on Louisiana soil from the intermarriage of the Europeans, Africans and Native Americans, who contributed significantly to the culture and cuisine of Louisiana. The key word here is “significantly.” Even though many important cultures still seek refuge on our rich shores today, it was the original seven nations that significantly impacted our way of life, language, food, customs, music and even the stories we tell, which by definition are considered Creole. 

And who were those significant cultures? They were the Native Americans, who shared their knowledge of this land with us; the French, who first claimed this land for colonization under “The Sun King,” Louis XIV; the Spanish, who first explored Louisiana and eventually received it as a gift from France; the Africans, who arrived on these shores against their will in slavery, but who contributed greatly to our culture and especially our cuisine; the Germans, who saved the city of New Orleans from starvation with their great knowledge of farming; the English, who arrived here from New England to settle the rolling hills of the Felicianas; and the Italians, the last of our Creoles, who came to work on the sugar plantations after the Civil War and became dock workers and strawberry farmers and ultimately, helped build Louisiana’s food empire. 

These are the mixtures; these are the Creoles.

- John