One of the great things about cultural celebrations is that it gives all of us a chance to experience a taste of another region’s history, traditions and cuisines. This adds to the richness of our lives and broadens us culturally. And when you add in a fun festival, you have a winning combination. So let’s take a look at Mardi Gras and Let The Good Times Roll!
History of Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras has its roots in religion, with the practice of eating rich foods on Fat Tuesday, before fasting the next day on Ash Wednesday, which starts the Lenten season. Mardi Gras has grown from a single day to a several week celebration. In New Orleans, the Mardi Gras parades started this year on February 19 and will conclude on Fat Tuesday, March 8. Mardi Gras is also known as Carnival and is celebrated around the world. The best known is Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival. Other famous Carnivals include celebrations in Mexico’s Mazatlan, Sydney Australia and Quebec City Canada.
When we think of the annual Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans, we have striking images of ornate parade floats, colorful costumes, lively jazz music, spicy Cajun cuisine and strands of colorful beads tossed to raucous crowds. It is without question one of the biggest parties in the U.S. The traditional Mardi Gras colors are purple which symbolizes justice, green which represents faith and gold which stands for power.
Creole and Cajun Cuisine
Creole cooking has an aristocratic background, with French and Spanish influences that create upscale dishes. Red Jambalaya is a traditional Creole dish. Cajun cooking is simple, country style cooking, creating dishes from local ingredients. The centerpieces of Cajun cooking are black cooking pots, used to cook the main dishes, rice and vegetables. Cajun cooking centers around the “Holy Trinity”, comprised of 50% chopped onions, 25% diced bell peppers and 25% diced celery, seasoned with parsley, bay leaf, green onions and cayenne pepper.
Some of the popular Louisiana dishes include Jambalaya, Gumbo and Etouffee. All include meat or seafood, vegetables and rice. Creole or Red Jambalaya includes tomatoes and mixes rice directly into the dish. Gumbo does not include tomatoes and the meat and vegetable mixture is spooned on top of a bed of rice. Etouffee means “smothered” and is a creamy mixture with crawfish or shrimp also spooned over a bed of rice.
Food and Wine Pairings
Beer is popular in Louisiana. A general rule is to pair a heavier style beer with a heavy dish, like Jambalaya. Spicy food can affect your palate, not allowing you to enjoy subtle flavor pairings between your beverage and food. A couple of possible beer pairings to try include Dry Stouts and Porters with hearty stews, Pilsners with spicy shellfish dishes and IPAs with spicy beef/chicken/shellfish dishes. If your recipe calls for beer as an ingredient, plan to use the same beer you plan to drink with the meal.
With Creole or Red Jambalaya’s spicy tomato sauce base, a red Zinfandel or Syrah are good wine pairing choices. Their jammy fruit character works well with spicy food and compliments tomato sauce. With Gumbo and Etouffee, a Riesling can balance the creaminess and spice levels of these dishes.
My Chef Catering’s Etouffee Sauce
This is a popular recipe on My Chef’s Mardi Gras Menu and serves four people as an appetizer. Either raw shrimp or cooked meatballs are added to this sauce.
Ingredients for sauce:
1/3 cup butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 ea small green pepper diced
1 ea medium Spanish onion diced
2 ea stalks celery diced
2 ea cloves fresh garlic minced
2 ea medium plum tomatoes chopped
2 Tbsp Louisiana Hot Sauce
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
1/2 Tbsp seafood seasoning
Let The Good Times Roll – At Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras In Verbier – Verbier Skiing Holidays
This might sound like a paradox, but being surrounded by the news of financial doom and gloom on a daily basis makes me think that an annual trip to the Alps is to be considered a necessity, not a luxury. ‘A change is as good as a rest’ as the old adage goes and good thing too, since a ski holiday in Verbier probably isn’t going to give you much of a rest. Whether you stay in a cosy chalet, luxury hotel or bargain basement apartment, the long, groomed pistes followed by the vibrant bars in Verbier will be hard to resist. If a good party as well as great skiing is at the top of your holiday wish list, then Verbier for Mardi Gras is a must. As the last day of indulgence before the start of Lent what better place to do it than in Verbier. You’ll be downing shooters rather than gobbling pancakes but the principles are the same. It’s about letting go and getting stuck in, followed by vowing never to drink again.
‘The Pub’ is the place to go if you really want to really embrace Mardi Gras, but make sure you are in fancy dress.
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Once at the bar, you might find yourself shoulder to shoulder with Mickey Mouse, and the Empire State building, or the Incredible Hulk and Madonna. As is often the case with fancy dress parties, lovingly made costumes start disintegrating under the wear and tear of precarious dance move, creating a slightly disturbing scene of hapless dishevelment.
Madonna might have accumulated Superman’s cape and Kermit the frog may have developed a cone shaped chest but the party will go on regardless and more costume swapping will inevitably ensue. Seeing what bits of who’s costume you wake up with is always an interesting revelation as is working who the ‘Smurf’ blue body paint has come from…
Why Mardi Gras Is Called Fat Tuesday
“Fat Tuesday” represents the “Shrove Tuesday” in English tradition. Both these terms refer to their equivalents in French tradition that is “Mardi Gras”, the “Carnival Season”, or “Mardi Gras Season.” A Carnival season is the beginning of religious celebrations starting from Epiphany, i.e. the anniversary day of the Christ’s baptism into a day before Ash Wednesday. A season of liturgical rites based on Confession and Repentance starts right after the Ash Wednesday, known as the fasting days of Lent. Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday falls right on a day before Ash Wednesday. The celebrations are mainly a part of the preparation to the Lenten practices. During the forty days of Lenten season, fasting is observed and eating fatty substances is prohibited. Perhaps, this is the one major reason that we see the preparation of the Pancakes with the ingredients rich in fats to consume the fatty ingredients like eggs, sugar and fat from kitchen.
People celebrate the season in so many ways.
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Explaining WHY:
In past, the celebrations of Mardi Gras were limited to a single day, but now the trend has changed in many areas where the celebrations underwent for quite a long period of time. The length and celebrations of the festival season varies from city to city. However, in many American states the celebrations Carnival season has been known as an original title, i.e. “Mardi Grass Day” or “Fat Tuesday.”
In many societies, the last three days before Ash Wednesday are considered as the Mardi Gras.
Many different events were organized in the past in the celebrations of Mardi Gras season such as parade on the New Year’s Day. Many countries are known for celebrating Mardi Gras like Louisiana in U.S., New Orleans and Quebec in Canada, and Rio de Janeiro.
Carnival
In many Catholic European countries, the Carnival is considered as an important religious celebration. In Ireland and United Kingdom, the week just before the Ash Wednesday, folding on Shrove Tuesday, is considered as “Shrovetide.” According to traditions, pancakes or pastries are made enriched in sugar, fat, and eggs in different parts including Latin America and the Caribbean.
Brazil
In Brazil, the Rio de Janeiro is considered as the most prominent city that holds the Carnival celebrations before the fasting period of Lent.
Canada
In Canada, the major celebrations of Mardi Gras are held in Montreal and Toronto.
United States
Although, Fat Tuesday is not able to get the status of national day in United States, there are many ethnic French regions in the country where this event is celebrated with all traditional zeal.
In 17th century King Louis XIV commissioned the Le Moyne brothers and the Fat Tuesday was introduced in the North America as a French Catholic rite.