Page 9 - March & April

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One of the important culinary discoveries
of the Colombian Exchange – that
post-Christopher Colombus exploration
of the New World that brought Old World
things to the Americas, like pigs and
chickens and peaches, and brought New
World commodities to the Old World –
was the tomato.
When people use the word terroir in
Europe, they usually refer to the geographic
location where a particular wine was grown.
European wines were most often named
by highly regulated region, rather than by
grape variety, because they tasted like the
region. The same thing can be said about
that glorious NewWorld harbinger of sum-
mer, the Creole tomato. Although LSU
Agricultural Center developed a seed for
what they called the Creole tomato in the
mid-1950s, those seeds do not make a to-
mato a Creole tomato. In fact LSUno longer
produces the seeds. Our Creole tomatoes
are our manifestation of terroir, even named
by the Louisiana legislature as the state
fruit. Those seemingly about to burst toma-
toes – they do often split their skins – with
ridges that form a crown, reflect the climate
and the soil of the south Louisiana River
Parishes. That is what gives the Creole
Heat bacon grease in a large pan with a heavy bottom. Slowly sauté
flour, stirring constantly, until it is the color of café au lait. Add onions
and garlic. As they soften, add the celery, bell pepper and scallions.
When the vegetables are soft, add the tomato sauce. Stir. Simmer for
about an hour. Add parsley, thyme and hot sauce to taste. Salt and pep-
per to taste. Serve over spaghetti with grated Italian cheese.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED
¼ cup bacon grease
¼ cup flour
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 scallions, chopped
3 cans tomato sauce
¼ cup chopped parsley
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon Louisiana hot sauce
(or more to taste)
Rouses salt and pepper to taste
Creole Red Gravy
HOW TO PREP
RECIPE, try me!
tomato its flavor.
Yes, it tastes good
because it is grown
close to where it
is sold and not picked pink and shipped
across the country. But even more than that
it is the heat during the day and at night,
the intensity of the sunlight, the amount of
rainfall, and the minerals in the soil that all
contribute to the unique flavor that inspires
poetry and smiles. All of the seafood dishes
that pair fresh seafood and tomatoes cel-
ebrate its seasonality and its locale.
It is hard to imagine world cuisine without
the tomato. No bloody Marys, no classic
Italian sauces, and no gazpacho. In the Old
World the tomato was initially greeted with
suspicion because of its relationship to the
nightshade plant. But in southern Italy and
Sicily, the fruit was embraced and quickly
found its way into the local cuisine. And
after the successful development of the tin
can and its acceptance in Europe in the 19th
century tomatoes were preserved this way,
and the fruit became available year round
with recipes being adapted for canned as
well as fresh tomatoes. The tomato, with
its high level of acidity, lends itself well to
being preserved through canning.
Later in the 19th century and into the
beginning of the 20th century thousands
of Sicilian immigrants settled in New
Orleans and the surrounding parishes. They
brought with them the practice of eating
canned tomatoes. And in typical New
Orleans fashion the food of the Sicilians
was Creolized. One of the important and
delicious results of the reintroduction of
tomatoes into the New World by these
distinctly Old World Sicilians is the use of
canned tomatoes in Creole food today. New
World terroir gives us the seasonal Creole
tomato to enjoy. Old Word immigrants
give us the year round pleasure of Creole red
sauce.
“We have always sold Creole Tomatoes. Wilford
Rodrique used to grow them at his place in
Chackbay, and Donald and I, and our brothers and
sisters, would pack them in the back of the store.”
—Tommy Rouse
Don’t miss the French Market’s 27th
Annual Creole Tomato
Festival, June 8th and 9th, at the
historic French Market.
The Tomato —
NEW WORLD & OLD
by Elizabeth M. Williams + photo by Eugenia Uhl
Elizabeth M. Williams is the President and Director
of the Southern Food and Beverage Museum,
and the author of the new book, New Orleans: A
Food Biography, available at local bookstores and
online atwww.southernfood.organd
www.amazon.com.
About the Writer