A Singular Sausage
Among the most distinctive foods in Louisiana is boudin (pronounced boo-dan), a special sausage made with pork, liver, rice, onions, herbs, salt, red pepper, black pepper and garlic powder. Especially popular in the southern regions of the state, boudin shows up in all kinds of breakfast, lunch and dinner dishes.
Groups interested in learning about this food and sampling its variations can travel the Southwest Louisiana Boudin Trail in and around Lake Charles. The trail follows Interstate 10 and includes numerous mom-and-pop restaurants, specialty meat shops, grocery stores and other establishments that offer fresh boudin.
Along the Boudin Trail, visitors get to sample numerous varieties of the sausage that are specialties of their locales. Highlights include crawfish boudin, shrimp boudin and alligator boudin. Hot boudin is an extra-spicy variation on the product, and smoked boudin has been infused with flavor in a traditional meat smoker.
Crawfish Craziness
You’ll find crawfish — freshwater crustaceans that resemble small lobsters — on the menu at most restaurants around Louisiana as they are a stable of gumbos, etouffees and other dishes popular throughout the state. But the best way to experience crawfish is to attend Mudbug Madness.
Taking place over four days in late May, Mudbug Madness is the city of Shreveport’s homage to the crawfish, or “mudbugs,” as they are often called colloquially. The festival began in 1984 as a two-day crawfish boil. Today, the event uses untold thousands of crawfish to feed the 56,000 daily festival attendees.
Mudbug Madness has expanded to become a celebration of Louisiana culture and heritage. Visitors can enjoy a robust entertainment schedule featuring live Cajun and zydeco music from around the state or take place in crawfish-eating competitions.
