Louisiana Cookin’ – September-October 2019

Louisiana Cookin’ | September/October 2019 30

as German names but took on new spellings when

recorded for the census.

However, the German contribution to the area’s

foodways is still evident today. Andouille may have a

French name, but this mainstay of Cajun and Creole

cuisine was heavily infl uenced by German butchering and

sausage-making traditions. Th e German communities

held boucheries, during which a pig was slaughtered and

every part was used to make all manner of pork products,

including andouille and other sausages.

Th e andouille of the German Coast is thick and

smoky, made with lean cuts of pork and a simple blend of

spices. Th is is in contrast to the French style of andouille,

which is made with tripe and chitterlings. In Mémère’s

Country Creole Cookbook (LSU Press, 2018), lifelong

German Coast resident Nancy Tregre Wilson states,

“Th e LaPlace style of andouille, which is coarser, leaner,

and more heavily smoked than that made in other parts of

the state, is refl ective of robust German cuisine.”

Now a staple ingredient in classic Louisiana dishes

like gumbo and jambalaya, andouille is so emblematic

of the German Coast that in the 1970s, the town of

LaPlace in St. John the Baptist Parish was proclaimed the

“Andouille Capital of the World,” and a festival is held

each fall to celebrate its claim to fame.

Today, the German heritage of the area is celebrated at

the German Coast Farmers’ Market and in butcher shops

and meat markets, where local growers and producers

uphold their ancestors’ traditions and show the impact

Germans had on the agriculture and foodways of these

towns along the Mississippi River. 

GERMAN COAST ANDOUILLE MAKERS

WAYNE JACOB’S

SMOKEHOUSE AND

RESTAURANT

769 W. 5TH ST.

LaPlace

985.652.9990

wjsmokehouse.com

JACOB’S WORLD

FAMOUS ANDOUILLE

505 W. AIRLINE HWY.

LaPlace

985.652.9080

cajunsausage.com

SPUDDY’S

CAJUN FOODS

2644 HWY. 20

Vacherie

225.265.4013

facebook.com/SpuddysCajunFoods