Cajun étouffée
There are lots of cross-over words in the culinary world, in which one culture and language borrows from another. Satay (or sate), the southeast Asian dish of marinated and grilled cubes of meat, can be traced to French colonial influence. Think of the French term sauté, the culinary technique of quick frying in oil
An étouffée is a Cajun dish, a thick and spicy stew that features crayfish (or crawdaddies) and some veg served with rice. The dark colour comes from a traditional Cajun and low-country technique using a dark brown roux, the latter, of course, another French culinary term.
The word itself comes from the French word”étouffer,” to smother. The term encapsulates the process of cooking ingredients in a fairly small amount of liquid in a tightly covered cooking vessel over low heat. It’s an ancient technique that produces delicious results.
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