The Legend of the Crawfish

Part of Louisiana’s spice is the folklore of our culture.
According to legend, crawfish and the mud towers that
mark their home originated in the bayous as follows:

Nova Scotia Lobsters followed the Acadian people on
their way to settle Louisiana. The lobsters grew tired
and smaller and smaller along the journey, so that
when they arrived in Acadiana they were only
4 to 5 inches long. Messieurs les Ecrevissves were
very friendly with the settlers and did everything they did.
So, when the Acadians built mud chimneys for their homes,
the crawfish did the same. However, they were so tired
they couldn’t complete their homes. They just crawled
right into the chimneys and set up house.

On dit que (it is said) when a bayou baby
is 9 days old, if he sticks his finger in a crawfish
mound, he will become a Cajun. When a visitor to our
state eats crawfish three times they also become an
honorary Cajun.