VISIT
Natchitoches
for French, Spanish flavor
A Southern breakfast at Fairfield Manor is quite a treat. STACEY WITTIG/CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
By Stacey Wittig
Contributing writer
It’s difficult to imagine that while early
French frontiersmen were building Fort
Presque Isle on the shores of Lake Erie way
back in 1753, the French settlement of Natchitoches was already getting ready to celebrate
40 years on the banks of what is now called the
Cane River Lake in northwestern Louisiana.
The French established the garrison in Erie to
protect its holding from the encroaching British. Trader and explorer Louis Juchereau de St.
Denis built a French post and founded Natchitoches in 1714 to trade with the Spanish, who
controlled what is now Mexico and Texas. The
deep history behind some of seemingly out-ofthe-way places is astonishing.
I just returned from an intriguing trip to the
historic town of Natchitoches (pronounced
Nack-A-Tish), Louisiana, which maintains its
European flavor through its architecture, heritage
and food. I love French Creole cuisine and would
be happy to travel to Louisiana for the food alone.
I gulped down praline bacon, crawfish étouffée or
cheesy shrimp grits and polished off dinners with
bananas Foster or Louisiana-style bread pudding.
On this trip, I discovered Natchitoches Meat
Pies, recognized by the State of Louisiana as an
official state food. Who knew? The crust makes
this variety different from any other meat pie
I’ve sampled in other regions of the world. The
meaty pie, about the size of your hand, is deep
fried, often in peanut oil, making its crust taste
more like an empanada. Makes sense because this
part of Louisiana is so influenced by Spanish rule
after its French colonization. The blend of these
cultures with Native American, West African,
German, Italian and Irish makes the unique
Louisiana Creole food — and French Creole
architecture — what it is today.
The whole charming Natchitoches downtown
and lakefront area is designated as a National
Historical District. The acclaimed historical
downtown is clad in architectural styles that
include Queen Anne, Italianate, Spanish Revival,
Federal, Art Deco, Victorian and French Creole. I
wandered into the Kaffie-Frederick Department
continued on page 42
D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 6 / / L A K E E R I E L I F E S T Y L E | 39