If you go online looking for a cabbage roll recipe, you’ll need to specify which part of the world you’re aiming for — Greece, central Europe, Turkey, or perhaps a Louisiana-style cabbage roll?
Cabbage comes pretty close to being a global cuisine, with smothered cabbage, rolled cabbage, sauerkraut, dolma, kimchi and other derivatives playing a central role in food cultures across the world. In Louisiana, the humble cabbage has appeared in Cajun and Creole cooking for generations. It’s part of the traditional New Year’s dinner; and an easy, flavorful and healthy dish for a weekday meal, any time of the year.
M&S Grocery in north Lafayette makes cabbage roll plates each Wednesday, and they sell out fast, according to owner and cook Lynette Degeytaire.
“Everyone always says, ‘It’s like my grandmother’s,’” she said.
“My grandfather, who was from Henderson, just recently passed. He was 93, and these are the kind of things that he made. My mom was a Patin, and my dad was a Thibodeaux, and they all made stuff like that. It’s a huge seller here.”
Degeytaire has kept the store’s recipes pretty close to the originals of the past 52 years, as created by her husband’s family. Ryan Degeytaire’s parents, Sandra and Millard Degeytaire, opened M&S Grocery in 1973 at 2720 Louisiana Ave., Lafayette. Sandra Degeytaire’s parents also started Comeaux’s Grocery near the then-University of Southwestern Louisiana in the 1960s, which became famous for being at the forefront of high-quality, commercially produced boudin in Acadiana.
M&S Grocery is known for its boudin, cabbage rolls, chili, hot dogs and classic south Louisiana groceries and plate lunches — all of which provide the kind of nostalgic flavors that are getting harder to find outside of neighborhood gems.
Cabbage rolls are a multi-step process, but they aren’t complicated. The basic idea is to roll boiled cabbage leaves with a mixture of ground meat, rice and seasoning, and let them soak and cook in a tomato juice mixture (Degeytaire likes to use V8 in her recipe for the flavor). It’s a simple idea that’s been replicated across the world, and likely came to Louisiana early via immigrants and rural cooking traditions.
For Degeytaire, the smell of cooking cabbage is a core childhood memory from her family’s kitchen in Carencro. “I never loved cabbage until I became an adult,” she said. “As a child, I thought it was a horrible smell.”
“Now, it just amazes me how many people come, and how far they come, for cabbage rolls. When I do smothered cabbage, I try to make extra, because people will ask for double cabbage. It’s a big deal.”
Even with its signature funk, it’s cabbage’s versatility makes it such a popular staple in Cajun and Creole cooking, which rewards ingredients that get better with long cooking times and layered flavors. Try cabbage rolls the Louisiana way at these Lafayette shops, where hot and frozen cabbage rolls are sold throughout the week as plate lunches and take-home meals. Call ahead to confirm availability:
M&S Grocery, 2720 Louisiana Ave., Lafayette
Dwyer’s Cafe, 323 Jefferson St., Lafayette
Joey’s, 503 Bertrand Drive, Lafayette
Champagne’s Market, 454 Heymann Blvd., Lafayette
Burger Best, 302 Carmel Drive, Lafayette
Dining and Cooking