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Acadian Foodways and the Deportation

Acadie

Historical period

⚠ THE ANCESTOR, NOT THE DESCENDANT. Acadie was the French settlement of what is now Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and PEI from 1604, farming DIKED SALT MARSH behind aboiteaux — a technique that made the richest farmland in the region without clearing forest — and living in close alliance with the MI’KMAQ, who are the reason the settlement survived at all. In 1755 the British began the GRAND DÉRANGEMENT: around 10,000 Acadians deported, families split, ships sent to the American colonies, France and eventually Louisiana, where their descendants became the CAJUNS. ⚠ SO ACADIAN FOODWAYS ARE THE PARENT OF CAJUN FOODWAYS AND NOT A VARIANT OF THEM, and this system files them accordingly. What survives in the Maritimes: RÂPURE (rappie pie), grated potato wrung dry and baked with broth and meat; FRICOT, the chicken-and-dumpling soup; POUTINE RÂPÉE, which is nothing to do with Québec poutine; chiard; salt cod; molasses; and PÂTÉ À LA VIANDE.

Atlas — where and when

Where in the world

Communities and languages

  • Acadians community documented
  • Mi’kmaq community documented

Languages: French, Mi'kmaq

What is recorded

  • Acadian foodways are recorded as the ancestor of Cajun foodways and not as a variant of them. Acadie was settled from 1604 and farmed diked salt marsh behind aboiteaux in close alliance with the Mi’kmaq. The Grand Dérangement beginning in 1755 deported approximately 10,000 Acadians, some of whom reached Louisiana and whose descendants became the Cajuns. Râpure, fricot and poutine râpée are recorded as Maritime Acadian dishes; poutine râpée is unrelated to Québec poutine. documented
  • Acadie settled from Port-Royal; salt marsh diked behind aboiteaux, in alliance with the Mi’kmaq. documented
  • The Grand Dérangement: around 10,000 Acadians deported, some reaching Louisiana, where their descendants became the Cajuns. documented

Related foodways

This foodway relates to

  • migrated to Cajun Foodways documented

    The Grand Dérangement of 1755 deported around 10,000 Acadians; those who reached Louisiana became the Cajuns.

  • related to Acadian Foodways documented

Recipes

No recipes are filed under this cuisine yet.