french quarter festival 2012 | food and freckles

When most people think of New Orleans they typically think of Mardi Gras, the Saints and a city filled with people who know how to have a good time. I on the other hand fantasize about beignets, gumbo, Po’ boy sandwiches, crawfish and jambalaya. Since my aunt and uncle live in New Orleans I’ve had my fair share of Creole and Cajun cuisine. Louisiana’s food has influences from French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Native American and African cooking and is world-famous for its unique and rich flavors. New Orleans is also known for its music and food festivals. In fact, my lucky parents got the chance to go to the 29^th annual French Quarter Festival last weekend!

The French Quarter Festival is a free, annual music festival located in the historic French Quarter of New Orleans. It is the largest free music festival in the South with this year’s attendance at approximately 574,000 people. French Quarter Fest features traditional New Orleans Jazz and Blues music and some very good eats. Known as ‘The World’s Largest Jazz Brunch,’ hundreds of food vendors sell various southern specialties. Typical dishes ranged from savory crawfish pies and chicken & andouille gumbo to sweet banana foster! Here’s a list of the vendors and what they offered this year. As you will see below, my mom was sure to email me an abundance of pictures from their weekend!