Courtesy of Dixie Poché.
A true maven of Southern culture knows that the best research is not conducted in the archives or the library, but rather along back roads, in gatherings in rural communities, and at small town lunch counters. St. Martin Parish native and author Dixie Poché is a master of both varieties of research, as is evident in her latest book The Cajun Pig: Boucheries, Cochon de Laits, and Boudin. This exploration takes readers on a road trip through time to the butcher shops and barbecue joints of vintage rural Louisiana and provides a modern glimpse into how these porky traditions continue to influence life in the Bayou State today.
“My love of travel stems from those early road trips where we unexpectedly stopped at unusual hole-in-the-wall places,” Poché explained of her decision to open the book with anecdotes about the family road trips of her childhood. “I wanted to keep a nostalgic theme throughout my book, so began with some memories of small town adventures.”
As intended, the sense of nostalgia is palpable from the beginning of The Cajun Pig. Poché weaves childhood memories of piling pajama-clad with her sisters into the car before dawn with tidbits of historical trivia you didn’t know you wanted to know, like the 1940s origin of the “doggie bag,” or why ice cream servers were once called “soda jerks”. This is a book that is chock-full of history, without the stuffiness or formality of an academic text. In The Cajun Pig, Poché has achieved something more like a collection of stories from a knowledgeable relative; a relatable glimpse into the past.
The Cajun Pig, Poché has achieved something more like a collection of stories from a knowledgeable relative; a relatable glimpse into the past.
“My mother often spoke about the family boucheries that she attended, where everyone had a task assigned to them to help with feeding big families; whether setting up, cleaning up, playing music, or making boudin,” Poché said of what inspired her to write the book. “Also, my aunt and uncle had a mom and pop meat market in St. Martin Parish, and I was inspired about their business sense and customer service. Their boudin and plate lunches were generous and delicious. By sharing heartfelt stories of similar businesses, I hoped to give a glimpse into how they thrived through hard work, despite facing many challenges.”
Annette Huval
Virtually every part of the pig is used (everything but the ‘squeal’) at an old-fashioned Cajun boucherie.
As endearing as Poché’s personal narratives are, when necessary she gets to the meat of the matter. From a thorough rundown of how Mansura’s Cochon de Lait festival came to be and was later revived, to an inside look at how a family prepares for a boucherie, to a detailed encyclopedia defining pork-related terms from chaurice to ponce, no sausage casing is left unfilled, no cracklin’ un-crunched. “I like including a cross section of different dishes and types of businesses,” Poché said of the comprehensive nature of the project. “Louisiana has so many amazing treasures, and I feel that our cultures draw a lot of interest. I was especially inspired to be acquainted with long-running family businesses that I included in the book such as Bourgeois Meat Market in Thibodaux, Teet’s Food Store in Ville Platte, and Laura’s II in Lafayette.”
From a thorough rundown of how Mansura’s Cochon de Lait festival came to be and was later revived, to an inside look at how a family prepares for a boucherie, to a detailed encyclopedia defining pork-related terms from chaurice to ponce, no sausage casing is left unfilled, no cracklin’ un-crunched.
[Read Chris Turner-Neal's recommendations for local literature from 2020 here.]
The Cajun Pig makes an excellent overview for an outsider looking for a glimpse into Louisiana’s unique culinary world, and a bookshelf requirement for any local interested in cuisine, history, and the intricate ways the two intersect. Though food is one of her favorite subjects to write on, Poché is an ambassador for all her home state has to offer, reminding tourists and locals alike of Louisiana’s too-often-neglected wonders. “I believe that all regions of our state have something fun to do—whether it’s hiking, cycling, festivals, bird watching, photography opportunities, kayaking, breweries, historic sites, museums, live music, and so much more. It is true that sometimes you don’t realize what’s in your own backyard.”
Poché’s next book about the Cajun Mardi Gras will be published by Arcadia Publishing and released summer of 2022. Her books The Cajun Pig, Louisiana Sweets, and Classic Eateries of Cajun Country are available in local bookstores, online, or by contacting the author at dixie.poche@gmail.com.
