Holy trinity (cooking)

{{Short description|Flavor base used extensively in Cajun cooking}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2020}}

File:Cajun trinity HRoe 2012.jpg

The "holy trinity" in Cajun and Louisiana Creole cuisine is the base for several dishes in the regional cuisines of Louisiana and consists of onions, bell peppers and celery. The preparation of Cajun/Creole dishes such as crawfish étouffée, gumbo, and jambalaya all start from this base.

Variants use garlic, parsley, or shallots in addition to the three trinity ingredients.{{cite journal |first=Patricia |last=Perrine |title=Louisiana French Foodways: The Perpetuation of Ethnicity in the Lafourche Area |journal=North American Culture |volume=2 |issue=7 |year=1985 |publisher=Society for the North American Cultural Survey |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XcC1AAAAIAAJ&q=%22holy+trinity%22 |via=Google Books }} The addition of garlic is sometimes referred to as adding "the pope".

The holy trinity is the Cajun and Louisiana Creole variant of mirepoix; traditional mirepoix is two parts onions, one part carrots, and one part celery, whereas the holy trinity is typically one or two parts onions, one part green bell pepper, and one part celery.{{Cite web |url=http://noshon.it/tips/kitchen-basics-mirepoix-vs-holy-trinity/ |title = Kitchen Basics: Mirepoix vs. Holy Trinity |work=NoshOn.It |access-date = 2017-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170502214652/http://noshon.it/tips/kitchen-basics-mirepoix-vs-holy-trinity/ |archive-date=2017-05-02 |url-status=dead }} It is also an evolution of the Spanish sofrito, which contains onion, garlic, bell peppers, and tomatoes.{{cite web |url=https://www.yahoo.com/food/the-history-of-gumbo-82790044364.html |publisher=Yahoo! Lifestyle |title=The History is Gumbo |author=Food52 |author-link=Food52 |date=2014-03-01 |access-date=2020-02-17}}