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Come on down to Louisiana for a warm southern welcome! There is so much history and culture in Louisiana to explore, so let’s start looking. France owned the land that is now Louisiana 200 hundred years ago. On April 30, 1803, the United States bought this land from Napoleon Bonaparte for 15 million dollars, which averaged out to be only four cents an acre! This acquisition of 600 million acres became known as the Louisiana Purchase, and from this territory, thirteen states were carved out: Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Wyoming, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Colorado and Montana.

Two of the most distinct aspects of Louisiana are their music and their food. Throughout history, the rich sounds of many kinds of music have spread through Louisiana like wildfire. Along the Louisiana music trail you’ll hear the toe tapping sounds of New Orleans jazz, the two-stepping tunes of Cajun/Zydeco, and divine hymns of gospel just to name a few. It is the sounds of instruments that lie at the heart of this festive state. People who live here take it very seriously, because for centuries, the music has defined who they are.

But to truly understand the people who live in Louisiana, you must take into consideration the food that has brought so much fame to the state. The main type of cooking is called Cajun/Creole which consists of jambalaya, gumbo, boudin (a pork and rice sausage), soft-shell crab, shrimp dishes, crawfish bisque, crawfish pie, and dozens more. Because Louisiana is on the water, seafood plays a great part in their dishes. Cajun food is spicy and hearty and always rich with flavor.

Now that you know a little about the state of Louisiana, keep on reading the ChevronCars Tribune to get a closer look at the music and food the people in Louisiana love so much.