étouffée

[ ey-too-fey ]

noun

, plural é·touf·fées [ey-too-, feyz, ey-too-, fey].

1. New Orleans Cooking. a stew of crayfish, vegetables, and seasonings, served over white rice.

Word History and Origins

Origin of étouffée¹

< Louisiana French; French (à l')étouffée cooked in a closed vessel with little liquid, braised; noun use of feminine past participle of étouffer literally, to smother, suffocate, Old French estofer, apparently identical with estofer to stuff

More About Étouffée

What is étouffée?

Étouffée is a New Orleans stew containing crawfish, vegetables, and rice.

Étouffée is the general name for a style of dish that includes crawfish or other seafood with vegetables and sauce served over rice. The sauce is usually spicy, often containing black pepper, cumin, and cayenne pepper, among other seasonings. The vegetables most often include onion, green pepper, and celery, though other vegetables may be added. Étouffée was first popularized in New Orleans in the 1950s, although dishes like it had been in Cajun culture for decades prior.

Example: My Louisianan grandfather taught me to make étouffée with crawfish we caught in the creek and vegetables we grew in the garden.

Where does étouffée come from?

The first records of the term étouffée come from around the 1950s. It ultimately comes from the Old French term estofer, meaning “to stuff.”

Did you know ... ?

What are some words that share a root or word element with étouffée? 

• stuff
• stuffed
• stuffing

What are some words that often get used in discussing étouffée?

• broth
• Cajun
• crawfish
• rice
• spicy

How is étouffée used in real life?

Étouffée is a popular seafood stew often associated with New Orleans.

would do many things for crawfish etouffee or boudin balls

— Addison Rae (@whoisaddison) November 10, 2020

Cannot WAIT to get Beignets in NOLA this weekend (also all the Gumbo and poboys and Étouffée and etc in arms length)

— Corey Ryan Forrester First of His Name (@CoreyRForrester) April 13, 2021

I gained 5 pounds from crawfish étouffée. Southern food can not be denied no matter how strong thy will power

— Lolo Jones (@lolojones) March 23, 2015

Try using étouffée!

True or False?

Étouffée is a sweet dessert made with toffee.