a MARDI GRAS article

Cultures of Acadiana
a look at the French, Cajun, Creole, and Native American cultures of south Louisiana
(a project of Carencro High School - 721 West Butcher Switch Road, Lafayette, LA  70507)

Baton Rouge, (LA) Advocate, March 2, 2000

Colorful king cake traditional part of Louisiana carnival celebrations

Mardi Gras, French for "fat Tuesday," is March 7 this year and is the big gastronomic blowout before Lent. It is a time for good Catholics to live it up before buttoning up for 40 days of gustatory denial prior to Easter.

The celebration was begun in the early 1700s in New Orleans, an area where the first white settlers were French and where their influence is still felt. Masked balls and parades and a certain rowdiness have become a part of the tradition, along with Cajun and Creole food; blues, jazz and zydeco music; and the royal colors of purple, green and gold.

Alexis Romanoff of the Russian royal family visited Mardi Gras in 1872 and from hence forth, it is said, the celebration took on the royal colors signifying justice, faith and power.

Sweets are an integral part of the Mardi Gras feast, including what has become known as King Cake. The cake traditionally has a treasure baked into it, a baby, crown, coin or maybe no more than a pecan half. But whoever gets it is to provide the dessert for the next year, an honor if you're a good cook.

This article is copyrighted © by the Baton Rouge (LA) Advocate and is used with permission.  This web site was originated through a grant awarded to Carencro High School (Joel Hilbun/Bobbi Marino, Grant Administrators) by the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education from the Louisiana Quality Education Support Fund - 8(g).