Our staff is particularly psyched this warm April Friday — we’re throwing a crawfish boil! Our fellow Louisianans know exactly what this celebration entails. For those unfamiliar with the tradition, a Crawfish Boil is an age-old tradition in the Deep South. Here in Louisiana, we celebrate with an outdoor party and feast on the delicious crustacean. Because we’ve just entered what we call ‘crawfish season,’ this time of year the Crawfish Boils are plentiful.
This tradition is so indoctrinated into Louisiana culture that we have a few world-famous crawfish boils on a grand scale. These are the Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival and Tulane University’s ‘Crawfest,’ both of which are heavily attended by Gulf-coast residents where the seafood is literally right out of the water. Though the big festivals are accompanied by jazz brass bands and 18,000 pounds of crawfish, we won’t be requiring that much food to feed our small team here at Malone Dental!
So where did this crazy Louisiana tradition come from? It’s part of the Cajun culture, originating from the French-Canadian pioneers who in the 1700s were exiled from Nova Scotia by the British. The local Indians had already consumed crawfish before the Cajuns arrived. Back then, the Native Americans used reed sticks with venison as bait on the end. In the 1930s the net was introduced as means of capturing large amounts of crawfish; by the 1950s we had the modern crawfish trap.
Crawfish (also called crayfish) are in fact descendants of the Maine lobster, but smaller and with their own unique flavor. They’re also called ‘mudbugs’ because they live in the mud of the freshwater bayous. Locals who hold crawfish boils at their homes often go out to catch their own in the bayous or crawfish farms instead of buying from fisherman. In fact, Lousianians are so serious about crayfish that in 1983 the governor signed a law designating the crawfish as the state crustacean, making Louisiana the first state to do so.
Craving some crawfish but don’t live in the deep south? The rest of the country imports their crawfish primarily from Louisiana, so you should be able to find some wherever you are! Here’s a great overview on How to Throw A Crawfish Boil. Happy eating!
Dr. Mike Malone and his team practice expert cosmetic dentistry in Lafayette, LA. Dr. Malone is the former president and current accredited member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. He is also the official Cosmetic Dentist of the Miss Louisiana USA and Miss Louisiana Teen USA pageants. Check out his website for more information.