Let's Throw A Crawfish Boil Trivia Quiz

Answer:

Crawfish are small crustaceans that live in fresh water and have long been a part of the history in Louisiana and Texas. Native Americans in the area fished for these mudbugs (their name derived from the fact they burrow in mud) with sharp reeds. The Houma tribe, dating back to French document references from the 1600s, even used the animal as their symbol and showed it holding up their claws. By the 1700s, Cajuns in the bayous were eating them as an economical food source. Soon it spread to finer restaurants, and the rest of the world was hooked.

Crawfish are now primarily raised by farmers. Many of them are rice farmers who alternate that crop with raising crawfish in the water. People interested in a boil can order the seafood from these farmers through a variety of sources, including distributors or markets online. Once the crawfish arrive, the festivities can begin!

The great part about a boil is that each host can make it their very own. Spices, like a good Cajun boil mix, can vary. Some people like to make it spicy by adding things like ghost pepper spice. The vegetables can be quite the mix with everything form corn-on-the-cob to cauliflower to peppers to onions. Even extra meat such as sausage links can be tossed into the boiling pot.

Eating the crawfish is all part of the experience. Novices might want to start by simply tearing off the end of the crawfish and squeezing out the meat. Many people go right to the traditional method of ripping the head off and sucking out the meat and hepatopancreas (which is an organ like a liver). This method ensures a delicious bite of spicy, meaty goodness.

The boil often ends by enjoying a light dessert and finishing up the drinks. Then the whole newspaper table covering is gathered up for removal. Finally, any leftovers can be put into a delightful gumbo or spicy etouffee.