Cajuns are those who are descended from a French group of people who moved to South Louisiana following their forced exile from Acadia, or Nova Scotia, in the 1700s. They then integrated with the mainland French immigrant cultures together with Haitian, English, Spanish, German, and Native American cultures in the area and, generally, the further south you go, the more Cajuns you'll find.

Cajun isn't a name given to just anyone from a particular area, with a certain accent, or those Louisiana folk that enjoy a good crawfish boil¹, but those people to whom the word applies will probably tell you the fact in pride.

Cajuns are credited for such creations as really spicy foods, crawfish boils, boudin, Mardi Gras², jambalaya, and gumbo.