Editor’s Note: That’s Good Eatin’

When I think of food destinations around the world, a few countries’ cuisines come to mind — Italy, France, Mexico, specifically. Dialing further in, there are specific cities where people go just to eat. I think, as a state, Louisiana certainly can hold its own at the top of the list for places where travelers have specific restaurants or meals on their “to do” lists when going there. And I’ve definitely heard visitors saying they were coming to Louisiana “to eat.”

There are many reasons folks come to Louisiana to explore the cuisine — far too many to go into in this short space, especially when there have been books written on this subject. For one, Louisiana has unique food crops, which is part of what makes the food so delicious. Here, we have sweet potatoes, sugar cane, rice, pecans, seafood, tomatoes, strawberries, honey, satsumas — I could go on. The food, after all, is only one part of what comprises an amazing meal. The preparation is the other, and because Louisiana contains such a rich, diverse cultural heritage, all of those hands preparing the food, all of the years of recipes handed down, the patois of ethnicities shaping a dish — all of those things makes the food here special and different from any other place in the country. Or the world. Louisiana cuisine is a fusion of Native American, African, Spanish, French, Italian, German, Caribbean, Hispanic and Asian, leading to soul, Creole, and Cajun culinary styles. There’s magic in the food here — no doubt about it.

In this issue, Melanie Warner Spencer has the tasty job of mapping out a food trail as she takes us along for some of the most delicious, quintessential dishes Louisiana has to offer. She highlights not 20, but 21 of the best dishes in the state.  I got hungry just reading it, and I bet you will too.

Enjoy!