Cuisine
A U G U ST 2 0 2 1 42 AT THE
E N D O F T H E D A Y, I T ’ S
SEAFOOD’S
R E A L LY A L L A B O U T T H E
SPICES
KINGS & KINDRED // 4 4
A Q&A WITH
LOUISIANA
KING OF KINGS W
At Kindred, which offers “plant-based comfort food” in Uptown New Orleans, a “shrimp” poboy consists of fried mushrooms, coleslaw, roasted tomatoes, and a drizzle of house Buffalo sauce on French bread.
S H R I M P P O B O Y, H O L D T H E S H R I M P
Where Veganism Meets the South THE PLANT-BASED PLATES CREATED WITH NEW ORLEANS IN MIND
Story by Matt A. Sheen • Photos by Alexandra Kennon
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hen people think of Southern hospitality, they primarily think of food. This is especially true in a place like New Orleans, where visitors come from worlds over expecting spreads of crawfish, gumbo, Cajun-spiced shrimp, and poboys. But with its famously rich meat and seafood-heavy brands of cuisine, Southern Louisianan hospitality can sometimes seem to leave out a certain population of diners: vegans. “A lot of New Orleans food depends on spices,” said Wil Hernandez, lead bartender at Vegan Wit’ A Twist, noting that popular blackened foods (like alligator) result from spices turning black from the cooking process. “There’s no right or wrong way to make gumbo,” he offered (perhaps controversially) by way of example, pointing out that jackfruit or vegan sausage can serve as a substitute for shrimp, crawfish, chicken, or andouille. The only difference really, he said, is texture. “The flavor comes from 42
the base stock. The baseline of most Cajun and Creole cooking is vegetables: the holy trinity of bell peppers, onions, and celery.” The idea of a vegan gumbo is not actually all that novel, although the term is a relatively new one. Gumbo Z’herbes, traditionally a plant-based Lenten dish, has long been a New Orleans staple, according to Tiffany Burgin, assistant manager at The Gumbo Shop. “So people could have gumbo during Lent,” she explained. “Today, with the rules of Lent changing, a lot of people make it with chicken stock or other ingredients that are not vegan, but we make ours the traditional way. A lot of people probably order it because it’s vegan.” Nothing says New Orleans like a poboy sandwich, originally crafted to provide downtrodden striking street car conductors with a hardy meal—hardy meaning meat-based, though potatoes were often used to cut the cost of beef in those early days (and even then, they
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were usually doused in beef gravy). Not so anymore: French Quarter sandwich shop Killer Po-Boys offers two vegan varieties: one with sweet potatoes, the other with cauliflower. “Things change, things evolve,” reflected Burgin. “And so do menus.” Not much of a meat-eater himself, Hernandez picked up a lot of vegan recipes from his aunt and found that for those who have the time and inclination to cook, “The more you invest in vegan food, the easier it is to embrace the lifestyle.” Hernandez suggested that the growing prevalence of meat-inspired dishes on many vegan menus makes them more accessible to people transitioning to veganism, and friends of vegans who are joining them for a meal, without pandering to them. The oyster burger at Vegan Wit’ a Twist, for instance, is made with oyster mushrooms, which are also served a la carte. Hernandez likened such variation
to the adaptability of chili, which he said doesn’t depend on beans, but more on the spices and an individual’s preferred type of tomato (fresh, never canned in Hernandez’s case) and pepper: serrano, bell, or ancho reyes. “People had to use beans to fill out the dish in the Great Depression,” he said. Turns out, beans serve as an excellent meat alternative even in better times. “This isn’t the Depression.” While veganism may not have been a consideration for traditional Southern Louisiana cuisine, a modern vegan menu can still reflect that tradition while offering an opportunity for innovation. “I’m actually a Yankee, from Connecticut by way of New York City,” confessed Caroline Nassrah, owner of the Uptown vegan eatery Kindred. “I do think of Louisiana food as seafood, but it also includes things like poboys, beignets, sausage, lots of seasonings, and just overall great food. Whenever people from out of town talk about New Orleans or Louisiana, it always includes food. The key to
