Cajun Facts

Abbeville, located on Bayou Vermilion about 30 miles south of Lafayette, lies in the heart of Acadiana, or French Lousiana. The small town was founded in 1843 by Father Antoine Desire Megret, a French-born Capuchin missionary who purchased the land for $900 from Joseph LeBlanc and built St. Mary Magdalen Church in what is now downtown Abbeville. The original church was destroyed by the "Last Island Hurricane" in 1856 and was replaced with new church by local constituents. Abbeville became the seat of Vermilion Parish in 1852.

The Louisiana Acadiana flag, with the three silver fleur-des-lis on a blue background to symbolize the French Heritage, the 3 towered castle from the coat of arms of Castile for Spain, who governed Louisiana for 40 years, and a yellow star representing the soldiers from Acadiana who fought in the American Revolution under Galvez though Louisiana was not part of the US at the time as well as representing "Our Lady of the Assumption", Patroness of the Acadians. The flag was designed by Thomas J. Arceneaux of Lafayette Louisiana, former dean of Agriculture at the University of Southwestern Louisiana in 1965.

Gumbo - Thick spicy soup prepared with ingredients such as rice, sausage chicken and okra.

Jambalaya - Spicy dish always made with rice and combinations of seafood, chicken, turkey, sausage, peppers and onions.

Andouille - A plump and spicy smoked pork sausage used in red beans and rice other dishes.

Etouffee - Spicy cajun stew prepared with rice and usually crawfish.

Tasso - Tasso is a very highly seasoned lean pork flank, used as a seasoning meat.