- Zatarain's
Zatarain's is a food and
spice company. It was started in theNew Orleans suburb of Gretna byEmile A. Zatarain, Sr. , who took out atrademark and began to marketroot beer in1889 . He expanded his product range to include mustard, pickled vegetables, and extracts.Then he moved into the spice business and become known forNew Orleans and Cajun-style products. In1963 the family sold the business. The company was acquired in2003 byMcCormick & Company , the world's largest spice company.Major product lines
While the company offers a wide variety of Cajun and Creole related food items, they can generally be organized in five categories:
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Crab andShrimp Boils. These are an important item in preparing boiledseafood and in hosting the social event know as aSeafood boil . [http://www.gumbopages.com/food/seafood/crab-boil.html] It is amesh bag (formerlycheesecloth ) containing spices, including mustard seed,coriander seeds,allspice ,bay leaf , and pepper. Recipes often explicitly call for a number of "crab boil packets." InLouisiana , these packets are often supplemented with extracayenne pepper . [http://www.gumbopages.com/food/seafood/craw-boil.html] [http://generalhorticulture.tamu.edu/prof/Recipes/CrawBoil/crawboil.html] In other parts of the country—for example,South Carolina —recipes may call for a combination of Zatarain's packets andOld Bay Seasoning . [http://food.cookinglight.com/cooking/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=222742] The company also offers a liquid concentrate Crab Boil that can be used in lieu of the mesh packets and is also used directly to enhancesoups , e.g. Corn and Crawfish Bisque. [http://www.cookinglouisiana.com/Cooking/Recipes/Seafood/Corn_and_Crawfish_Soup.htm]* Creole Mustard. Zatarain's is a leading supplier of creole mustard which is a common item in New Orleans food. [http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/320175] It is a stone-ground brown mustard, often referred to as "hot mustard" to differentiate it from standard American yellow mustard. It is a common option for New Orleans
Po-boy s. [http://www.nolacuisine.com/2005/12/15/fried-shrimp-po-boy-recipe/] It is also a standard ingredient inremoulade sauce. [http://www.emerils.com/recipes/by_name/creole_remoulade_sauce.html]* Fish-Fri. Basically seasoned corn flour.
* Ready-to-Serve Dinners. These are a major focus of Zatarain's advertising, including
Jambalaya ,Red Beans and Rice , and Black Beans and Rice. They contain precooked beans, rice, and seasonings, to which consumers may optionally add meat. The dinners are available in two forms: frozen, for heating in a microwave oven; or in a package, to which water is added before cooking on a stovetop or in a microwave oven.* Seasonings. A catch all category covering both tradition seasoning like cayenne pepper and
root-beer extract and relatively new mixes and blends to reflect the kinds of pre-blended seasonings made popular byPaul Prudhomme andEmeril Lagasse .ee also
*
Crab boil
*Seafood boil
*Louisiana Creole cuisine External links
* [http://www.zatarains.com/ Zatarain's official web site]
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