An Irish Italian Culinary Parade

New Orleans, 1936 (Library of Congress)

From "Cardoons" to "Misbeliefs," "Huckabucks" to "Second Lines" – the Big Easy has a lingo all its own, built on generations of immigrants finding their way to the port of New Orleans, the French Quarter, and finally a life in this city. For centuries, Africans, Southeast Asians, Europeans, and Caribbean Islanders have worked to make a home here, resulting in the hodgepodge of culture New Orleans is today. On this week's show, we examine two immigrant groups who loom large in the story of the Crescent City.

With begin with historian Justin Nystrom, who discusses the influence that Sicilian Americans have had on our city's foodways. Surprisingly, that influence didn't begin with the heavy influx of Sicilians who populated the city during the late 1880s, but with a first wave of Italian immigrants who arrived on our shores in the 1830s.

Then, Liz Williams joins us with memories of her Sicilian grandmother, Nana Elisabetta, who arrived in the Crescent City at the age of 18. Liz's book, "Nana's Creole Italian Table," is filled with recipes and family lore.

Finally, we sit down with Tulane History Professor Laura Kelley. Her book, "The Irish in New Orleans," tells the history of Irish immigrants in the Crescent City and how they shaped Louisiana culture in some unexpected ways.