Two mutations, unrelated to the Ashkenazi / Cajun mutation, are absent in France but common among French Canadians living in eastern Quebec.

There are several variations of Cajun dance: a Cajun One Step, also called a Cajun Jig, a Cajun Two Step or related Cajun Jitterbug, and a Cajun Waltz.

Cajun One Step, is among the simplest of Cajun dance forms.

One example of this is the subcategory of Cajun dances that originated in Acadiana, with branches reaching both coasts of the United States.

In Earnest J. Gaines ' novel, " A Lesson Before Dying " Bayonne, Louisiana is the name of a Cajun town central to the book.

Cajun cuisine ( ) is the style of cooking named for the French-speaking Acadian or " Cajun " immigrants deported by the British from Acadia in Canada to the Acadiana region of Louisiana, USA.

An authentic Cajun meal is usually a three-pot affair, with one pot dedicated to the main dish, one dedicated to steamed rice, special made sausages, or some other seafood dish, and the third containing whatever vegetable is plentiful or available.

This technique is much newer than the others on this list, but very common in Cajun Country

The following is a partial list of ingredients used in Cajun cuisine and some of the staple ingredients of the Acadian food culture.

Though parts of Acadiana are well suited to cattle or dairy farming, beef is not often used in a pre-processed or uniquely Cajun form.

*" Cajun spice " blends such as Tony Chachere's and REX King of Spice are sometimes used in Acadiana kitchens, but do not suit every cook's style because Cajun-style seasoning is often achieved from scratch, even by taste.

* Vinegar seasoned with small, pickled, hot green peppers is a common condiment with many Cajun meals.

Preparation of a dark roux is probably the most involved or complicated procedure in Cajun cuisine, involving heating fat and flour very carefully, constantly stirring for about 15 – 45 minutes ( depending on the color of the desired product ), until the mixture has darkened in color and developed a nutty flavor.

* Stocks: Acadian stocks are more heavily seasoned than Continental counterparts, and the shellfish stock sometimes made with shrimp and crawfish heads is unique to Cajun cuisine.

The classic gumbo is made with chicken and the Cajun sausage called andouille, pronounced

The main character of the film is a Cajun boy.

Much of Cajun or Creole cuisine is based on France, and on Spain to a lesser extent.

* In Southern Louisiana, there is Cajun and Creole cuisine.

In addition to the above listed foods, Acadian families were introduced to vegetables such as okra, which is a key ingredient in gumbos as well as many other Cajun and Creole dishes.

A spicy tomato sauce known as sauce piquante is common in Louisiana Cajun cuisine, that can contain any seafood, poultry, or meats such as wild game.

* The Cajun Waltz is danced progressively around the floor, and is characterized by the subtle swaying of the hips and step very close to ordinary walking.

Different nationalities included Wolverine, Aurora, Northstar and Transonic as Canadians ; Colossus and Magik from Russia ; Banshee and Siryn from Ireland ; Gambit who is a Cajun, the original Thunderbird who was an Apache Native American ; Psylocke, Wolfsbane and Chamber from the U. K .; Armor, Surge and Zero from Japan ; Nightcrawler from Germany ; Legion from Israel ; Omega Sentinel, Neal Shaara, Kavita Rao and Indra from India ; Velocidad from Mexico ; Oya from Nigeria ; Primal from Ukraine ; etc.

One obvious result of this cultural mixture is the variety of surnames that are common among the Cajun population.

Sociologists Jacques Henry and Carl L. Bankston III have maintained that the preservation of Cajun ethnic identity is a result of the social class of Cajuns.

The Cajun heartland of Louisiana is highlighted in darker red.

Zydeco combines elements of an older American musical style that began in the late 1700s, Cajun music, a style that consists of French fiddle tunes, Irish Celtic fiddle tunes, German button accordion, Latin rhythms, and Appalachian styles.

This style comprises the roots of Cajun dance music, involving only a few instruments such as the Cajun accordion, fiddle, and triangle.

This style is similar to traditional Cajun music with added accompaniment such as the bass guitar, drum kit, steel guitar, and rhythm guitar, electric or acoustic.

This style involves Cajun music with a heavy influence of rock, R & B, blues, soul, and zydeco, producing a less traditional, more contemporary sound.

The second style, more characteristic of southwestern and south-central Louisiana, is Cajun jambalaya, which contains no tomatoes ( the idea being the further away from New Orleans one gets, the less common tomatoes are in dishes ).

* Audio clip of Marc Savoy and Michael Doucet performing a traditional Cajun song, One-Step De Chameau, in traditional Cajun style.

Cajun Jitterbug is a style of Cajun dancing with two variations.

The main style is a classic two-step form of a six-count East Coast Swing, which is differentiated from the one-step Cajun Jig.

One usage of the term, " Cajun Jitterbug ", alludes to the style of Cajun dancing which contains more turns and spins, regardless of the basic step pattern.

According to the official Jazz Fest website, " The Festival celebrates the indigenous music and culture of New Orleans and Louisiana, so the music encompasses every style associated with the city and the state: blues, R & B, gospel music, Cajun music, zydeco, Afro-Caribbean, folk music, Latin, rock, rap music, country music, bluegrass and everything in between.

Luderin Darbone's The Hackleberry Ramblers and Harry Choates were the vanguard of this new wave of Cajun music, which incorporated English lyrics and a smooth style.

The band referenced Cajun and New Orleans culture many times in their lyrics and performing style.

He took authentic Cajun and Creole music and added more elements of rock and roll: a rollicking beat, frenetic vocals and a dance-able rhythm ; the result was a style called zydeco.

The Sir Douglas Quintet is considered a pioneering influence in the history of rock and roll for incorporating Tex-Mex and Cajun styles into rock music .< ref > However, early influences on the band's emerging Texas style were of course broader than this, and included ethnic and pop music from the 1950s and 1960s, such as doo-wop, electric blues, soul music, and British Invasion.

Fresh-cut French fries are the sole side item, available salted only in " Five Guys style " or seasoned " Cajun style ".

Characteristic aromatics for the Cajun version may also include parsley, bay leaf, green onions, and dried cayenne pepper.

Both Cajun and Creole cuisine also had access to many native coastal animals, such as crawfish ( commonly called crayfish outside the region ), crab, oysters, shrimp, and fish.

Not surprisingly, it also displays some similarities to Creole and Cajun cuisines.

Country singer-songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter and Cajun musical group BeauSoleil also appeared singing Carpenter's hit " Down at the Twist and Shout ".

People of Latin American origin, a number of early Filipino settlers ( notably in Saint Malo, Louisiana ), known as " Manilamen ," from the annual cross-Pacific Galleon or Manila Galleon trade with neighboring Acapulco, Mexico, descendants of African American slaves, and some Cuban Americans have also settled along the Gulf Coast and, in some cases, intermarried into Cajun families.

Cajun populations today are found also in the area southwest of New Orleans and scattered in areas adjacent to the French Louisiana region, such as to the north in Alexandria, Louisiana.

In recent years the festival became so popular that there are now several such large summer festivals near the Connecticut-Rhode Island border: The Great Connecticut Cajun and Zydeco Music & Arts Festival, The Blast From The Bayou Cajun and Zydeco Festival, Rhythm & Roots Festival also in California the Cajun / Zydeco Festival ; Bay Area Ardenwood Historic Farm, Fremont, Calif. and The Simi Valley Cajun, Creole Music Festival.

In Cajun cuisine boudin is also popular.

Cajun soldiers also served as French translators for American officers, and successfully procured intelligence from local authorities and civilians in France, Belgium and North Africa.

The parish is also the setting of A & E's reality series " Cajun Justice " about the exploits of the Sheriff's Department.

The 2000 census counted 44, 915 people in the parish who are at least five years old of whom 31, 229 ( 69. 5 %) speak only English at home, 27. 44 % reported speaking French ( Colonial French also known as Plantation Society French ) or Cajun French at home, while 1. 52 % speak Louisiana Creole French.

The festival also often includes a French speaking contest and a Cajun French accordion contest.

Mamou is also home of the world famous Fred's Lounge, which features live Cajun music every Saturday morning.

It survives in some old time fiddle tunes, and also in early Cajun music, though it has largely fallen out of Cajun music now.

He has also been credited for greatly influencing the foundation of traditional Cajun music.

A " C " accordion can also play a few Cajun songs in the key of " F " however the Bb note will be missing.

: See also the History of Cajun Music

Bands in the 1940s began using the steel guitar, an instrument which also found use in Dancehall Cajun music.

Drawing on elements of the earlier Traditional, Texas Swing, and Dancehall periods, the Cajun " Renaissance " also incorporates more modern elements of Folk, blues, jazz and swamp pop, and bluegrass styles.