What Exactly Is Mardi Gras?
Mardi Gras (French for
Fat Tuesday) is the last day before the Christian season of Lent, beginning on
Ash Wednesday, when followers traditionally fast, refrain from eating meat or
give up selected indulgences.
In the US, New Orleans
is the Mardi Gras capital. The celebrations and parades held on the streets of
the French Quarter have an almost spiritual purpose. With its Cajun, Creole and
French influences, New Orleans is one of the most exciting cities in the world
when it comes to food and drink. This is a city with Absinthe houses, Hurricane
cocktails, Sazeracs and great dishes to pair with wine.
A good wine if you are serving Jambalaya would be Sauvignon Blanc. The wine is light to medium
bodied, balanced, and very easy going.
Gumbo can pair with
white or red wines. For white wine
pairings, Pinot Grigio, Albarino and Pinot Blanc provide a crisp, fresh note
against the spicy heat of seafood gumbo. A bright rose also gives a strong
contrast in tartness and fresh fruit flavor to the gumbo's warmth.
If you prefer a red
wine with your gumbo, choose a fruit forward wine such as Pinot Noir or
Cabernet Sauvignon with notes of pepper, berry or dark fruits to create a strong,
flavorful pairing that pairs well with the spiciness of gumbo.
Shrimp Po Boys! What
could be better than fried shrimp, fried oysters, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles
and remoulade sauce slathered on a soft hunk of French bread? A Po Boy paired
with Zinfandel! Zin has spicy, bold tannins and it won't disappoint with this
dish.
The Muffaletta has its
origins at a grocery store near a farmers market in New Orleans. Sicilian farmers would come into the grocery
store for lunch, and order an assortment of meats, cheeses, bread and olive
salad. At first, they would eat all of
the components separately, but eventually, it dawned on someone to stack
everything between two slices of bread, and voila! The Muffaletta sandwich was born. Pair this treat with a Tempranillo, or good
Chianti. These reds will accent all of
the flavors found in the sandwich.
No Mardi Gras
celebration would be complete without a King Cake. This sweet yeast bread is
shaped into a ring and frosted with gold, green and purple icing. A dried red
bean or a figurine of a baby representing the Christ child is baked inside.
Tradition says that whoever gets the slice with the figurine inside bakes the
King Cake the following year or hosts the Mardi Gras party. Pair this sweet treat
with Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc or Late Harvest Gewürztraminer.
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