Fat Tuesday Feasts: Indulge in Traditional Mardi Gras Foods

Published on February 11th, 2025

From Crawfish to King Cakes, Here’s What’s in a Traditional Mardi Gras Meal

Acme-Roast-Beef-PoBoy — Acme Oyster House’s Roast Beef Po’ Boy

New Orleans’ Bourbon Street in Louisiana is basically Mardi Gras central every year, when massive parades, carnivals, and costumes pair with Fat Tuesday foods in an over-the-top celebration just before the Catholic Lenten season begins. Be sure you’re prepared for the party by knowing what you’re about to eat!

What do the French eat on Fat Tuesday?

Mardi Gras celebrations in France are equally full of the carnival fun you’ll find in New Orleans, but the food is just a bit different. Since Fat Tuesday is the day prior to the start of Lent, Catholics in France traditionally considered it the day to use up all the milk, fat, and eggs in the home. So they made crepes, waffles, and beignets! These are still the staple foods in France on Mardi Gras.

What do you bring to a Mardi Gras party?

What is a traditional Mardi Gras meal? Here’s what you can expect to find among the parades and drinks.

King Cakes

King cake is probably one of the desserts you’re most likely to see during Mardi Gras. The circular coffee cake – cinnamon roll blend is covered in green, purple, and gold sprinkles — and tucked inside is a tiny doll of the baby Jesus. Getting the baby in your slice means a few different things, depending on who you ask: you’ll have luck for the next year; you must purchase the next king cake; you’ll be the next person to have a baby; or you get a prize.

King Cakes >

Beignets

These fluffy donuts are an iconic part of any New Orleans food tour, made famous by the coffeeshop Cafe du Monde. To make them, you fry a lump of pâte à choux (the same pastry used to make eclairs) until it’s puffy, then toss it around in powdered sugar. They’re best eaten warm, so don’t wait!.

Jambalaya

Jambalaya, a rice dish packed with meat and vegetables, originated in Louisiana. Generally two types exist: cajun and creole. Cajun jambalaya is found in rural areas of the state and has a broth base. It’s usually smoky and brown in color. Creole jambalaya comes from New Orleans. It has a tomato base, with meat, rice, and stock added. The tomatoes give it a red color.

Gumbo

Made with a roux base (a mixture of flour and butter), gumbo is a Louisiana-style stew. It typically has vegetables, chicken, sausage, and shrimp. Gumbo is thick and chunky, and usually served over rice. There’s a vegetarian alternative, too, consumed during Lent since it doesn’t have any butter: gumbo z’herbes, made with a selection of greens.

Gumbo >

Po’boys

Po’boys are a New Orleans staple — a sandwich served on French bread and layered with vegetables, sauce, and meat or seafood. Fried shrimp is a classic topping.

Po’ boys >

Muffuletta

Another favorite sandwich in New Orleans, the muffuletta is big, round, and stuffed full of meat, cheese, and olive tapenade. The bread is usually a circular and flat sesame loaf. Muffulettas were invented in 1906 by Salvatore Lupo, a Sicilian immigrant looking for a better way to serve his community a traditional Sicilian lunch.

Muffulettas >

Crawfish

Crawfish is abundant in Louisiana, and the crusteacean’s dining season lines up perfectly with Mardi Gras — typically when the first crawfish boils begin to welcome the season. You’ll also find crawfish in etouffee, a brothy stew served over rice.

Crawfish >

Shrimp & Grits

Made with tender shrimp, cheesy grits, and sometimes a healthy serving of andouille sausage, shrimp and grits will be sure to make their way onto any Mardi Gras food table. Surprisingly, though, the dish doesn’t originate in Louisiana — it actually comes from South Carolina’s Lowcountry.

Uncle Ray’s Fried Turkey’s Cajun Fried Turkey

Cajun Chicken

Louisiana chicken is cajun chicken: chicken pieces spiced with cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. It can be grilled, baked, sautéed, or fried, and tends to come with Tabasco sauce on the side — another invention of Louisiana.

Hurricanes

Hurricanes, the drink, are ubiquitous on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. It gets its name from the glass, which is shaped like a hurricane lamp. Passionfruit fans will love this one — the standard ingredients are rum, passionfruit, and sometimes a citrus splash, all served over crushed ice. The hurricane in an historic drink in the French Quarter, dating back to the 1930s.

Can’t make it to New Orleans for Mardi Gras? Don’t worry; you can have all the best NOLA treats (including the famous Dong Phuong Bakery king cake) delivered right to your home.

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