Carnival : A Grand Southern Tradition : Festival: Those who have tasted the pleasures of Mardi Gras, especially King Cake, return again and again.

From Mobile, Ala., to New Orleans and all through the surrounding Gulf coastal countryside, Christmas is hardly over before the next party begins.

Carnival--the magic word that conjures visions of singing, dancing and costumed gaiety--comes from the Latin for “removal of meat,” or perhaps “farewell to flesh.” Since the earliest days of Christianity, it has signified the weeks preceding the penitential 40 days of Lent, during which the faithful denied themselves all pleasures of the flesh in preparation for Easter.

The season of Carnival officially begins on Jan. 6, the Twelfth Day of Christmas or Twelfth Night, also known as the Feast of the Magi, the day when the three kings are believed to have presented their gifts to the newborn Christ child.

In New Orleans, the day is celebrated with the first Carnival party and the first “King Cake,” a moist, rich delicacy filled with nuts and bits of sticky fruit peel. Drizzled with sweet white icing, the cake is decorated with tinted sugar in the classic Carnival colors of purple, green and gold, symbolizing justice, faith and power. Hidden somewhere inside this heavenly confection is a tiny plastic baby, and whoever finds it is responsible for the next week’s cake and party.

Carnival season may be as short as three and a half weeks or as long as two months, depending on the date of Easter. Like other festivals of old, that date is determined by the ancient lunar calendar and falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox.

As the rigors of Lent approach, Carnival gathers momentum with ever grander balls, parties and street parades until finally Mardi Gras arrives. The day after, on Ash Wednesday, the time of fasting and austerity begins, but “Fat Tuesday” is devoted wholeheartedly to meat, music and merriment.

It is likely that Mardi Gras has been celebrated in North America since 1699, when the French explorer D’Iberville and a homesick group of colonists pitched temporary camp on a mud bank 30 miles north of the Mississippi Delta and named it Bayou Mardi Gras. Soon public parades and private masquerade balls were traditional events and occasions for raucous revelry throughout the colony.

In the 1830s, the first official parade group was formed in Mobile, Ala. Calling themselves the Cowbellions, members sent to Paris for their costumes. Not to be outdone, a group of socially prominent New Orleans young blades formed a secret society in 1857 and gave a ball to which only the elite were invited. A new Mardi Gras was born. Although the hostilities of the 1860s interrupted the festivities, Carnival was resumed again in 1866.

A century later, the “Krewes,” the parades and the balls have proliferated, and Mardi Gras and New Orleans have become synonymous. Preparing the floats is a yearlong project, and each Krewe’s theme is a jealously guarded secret.

From dawn to midnight on Fat Tuesday, the streets are jammed with masked revelers. Bands blare along the parade routes, parents hold their children up to see better and anyone can become royalty for a day. As each float passes, the waiting crowds shout, “Gimme something, mister!” and the masked riders shower the spectators with noisemakers, beads and “gold” doubloons. Shouts of joie de vivre (joy of life) fill the air, while juicy muffaletta sandwiches and crunchy oyster Po’ Boys fill the hands and mouths of young and old alike.

When the parades have all gone by and darkness descends, the balls begin. Entry is by invitation only (invitations are worth their weight in gold), and to dance one must be formally “called out” by a masked member of the Krewe. As the night wears on, Rex and his court depart to go salute Comus, the older monarch.

The grand march follows with a promenade of both royal retinues, and officially, the city’s Mardi Gras is over. Die-hard all-night revelers continue to straggle through the streets, eventually making their way to favorite coffee spots for sugary, crisp beignets and steaming hot cups of cafe au lait.

The Little-Known Rural Side of Mardi Gras

There is another, rural face to Mardi Gras. While the city folk and throngs of tourists ogle spangle-bedecked floats and masquers, quite a different celebration takes place deep in the heart of Louisiana’s Bayou country.

In the waning darkness of Mardi Gras morning, Cajuns have risen to the aroma of savory bowls of Coush Coush swimming in butter and cane syrup, homemade buttermilk biscuits covered with spicy andouille sausage gravy and steaming cups of chicory-laced, black-as-ink coffee. This hearty breakfast is absolutely necessary for the rigors of the morning ahead.

As the gray dawn mist begins to thin, several hundred men, women and horses gather deep in the heart of Bayou Teche to embark on the annual Courir le Mardi Gras (Run the Mardi Gras), an annual horse romp through the bywaters and back yards of Cajun country. The scavengers chase in search of charity in the form of live chickens, rice, sausages and spices that later are combined in a community gumbo supper.

Costumed as clowns, thieves and devils, some of the riders wear traditional pointed hats with bells and streamers. The group is led by a capitaine, dressed in silk and satin, who rides apart from the others as a keeper of the law and tries to prevent his fellows (fortified from the cold with swigs of Cajun lightning) from getting too rowdy. The courir is a custom that would hardly pass anywhere but in the mud-brown prairies of Bayou country where celebrants argue in bastard French and jig in the saddle to strains of fiddle melodies blaring from a follow-truck full of musicians.

At each farmstead, the capitaine visits ahead while the rest of his band wait on the road to see if the household will receive the Mardi Gras troop. If the owner says yes, le capitaine lowers a flag and the masked riders charge the farm on horseback, while the householder scurries to his rooftop, a chicken from his pen or other taste treat in hand.

As the dismounted riders whoop and cavort in the barnyard, the farmer tosses his gift into the air. A scramble for the prize ensues, sometimes involving wild leaps over pigsties and madcap chases through muddy, early-spring rice fields. Once the offering is bagged, it is sent back to town to be added to the brewing dinner pot, and as the runners depart the homestead, they sing their thanks and invite the household to the evening in-town feast.

When all the neighboring farms have been visited, what’s left of the riders return to town at a breakneck gallop, cheered on by crowds. As the few riders still sure in their saddles perform daredevil feats of amusement, the gumbo from the day’s catch is served to the gathered merrymakers along with Cajun potato salad, chunks of still-warm yeasty baguettes and raisin-speckled bread pudding drowning in a potent whisky-laced sauce.

The year’s biggest party moves into full swing and everyone from the youngest to the oldest attends. While grandmothers and godmothers, known as naines, croon “Fais Do-Do Mon Bebe” (“Go To Sleep, My Babe”) to the little ones, adults dance to the rollicking sounds of fiddle and accordion until midnight bells announce the arrival of Ash Wednesday.

In city and countryside, Lent has begun, the 40 days of sackcloth, penitence and ashes. Carne vale , farewell to the flesh . . . . but those fortunate celebrants who have tasted the pleasures of Mardi Gras will return again and again.

KING CAKE

1/2 cup warm water

2 packages dry yeast

2 teaspoons plus 1/2 cup granulated sugar

3 1/2 to 4 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1/2 cup lukewarm milk

5 egg yolks

1/2 cup butter, cut into bits, plus 2 tablespoons, softened

1/2 cup minced candied citron

1 tiny plastic baby

1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon milk

Icing

Colored Sugar

6 candied cherries

Combine warm water, yeast and 2 teaspoons granulated sugar in small bowl. Let rest 2 to 3 minutes, then stir to mix well. Set in warm, draft-free place 10 minutes or until bubbles appear.

Sift together in big bowl 3 1/2 cups flour, remaining 1/2 cup sugar, nutmeg and salt. Stir in lemon zest. Make well in center and pour in yeast mixture, lukewarm milk and egg yolks. Mix until smooth. Beat in 1/2 cup butter, 1 tablespoon at time, until mixture can be gathered into ball.

Place dough on floured surface and knead, gradually adding additional 1 cup flour while kneading. When dough is no longer sticky, knead until smooth and shiny, about 10 minutes longer.

Spread remaining 1 tablespoon butter inside large bowl. Set dough inside and turn to butter surface. Cover bowl and set aside 1 1/2 hours until dough doubles.

Punch dough down and turn out onto floured surface. Scatter citron over top and knead until citron is distributed. Spread remaining 1 tablespoon butter on baking sheet.

Shape dough into 14-inch-long cylinder and place on baking sheet. Loop into ring and press ends to seal. Press plastic baby into ring until completely hidden. Cover ring with towel and set aside 45 minutes until doubled in size.

Brush top and sides of ring with egg-milk mixture. Bake on middle rack of oven at 375 degrees 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Set on wire rack to cool.

Spread Icing over cake and let run down sides. Sprinkle 2- to 3-inch bands of each color of Colored Sugar on both sides of cake surface and accent with candied cherries. Makes 1 cake.

recipe,no Icing

3 cups sifted powdered sugar

1/4 cup strained lemon juice

3 to 6 tablespoons water

Combine powdered sugar and lemon juice, mixing well. Add water until icing is smooth.

Colored Sugar

Green, yellow and purple food color pastes

3/4 cup granulated sugar

Squeeze dot of 1 food color paste in hand and rub in 2 tablespoons granulated sugar until color is even (add more paste if hue is too pale). Place in bowl, wash hands and repeat entire process for other colors.

A thick cornmeal porridge, this breakfast dish was given its name by African slaves because of its similarity to the North African hot grain dish, couscous.

CAJUN COUSH COUSH

2 cups yellow cornmeal

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup bacon drippings

1 1/2 cups boiling water

Butter

Cane Syrup

Milk

Mix together cornmeal, salt, pepper and baking powder with fork. Warm bacon drippings in heavy, 10-inch skillet (preferably iron) over medium heat. In medium bowl, pour boiling water into cornmeal mixture and stir until combined, smooth and pasty.

Spoon mixture into hot fat. Increase heat and fry until bottom is brown and crusty, about 10 minutes. Stir to break up crust and distribute browned bits. Reduce heat to low. Cover skillet tightly and cook 10 to 15 minutes longer without stirring.

To serve, scoop coush coush into heated bowls. Add butter, cane syrup and milk to taste. Makes 4 servings.

Cajun roux is critical to gumbo. Never stop stirring or try to rush cooking process. If dark flecks appear in roux, it has been burned and must be discarded or gumbo will be bitter. Finished roux is color of peanut butter or mahogany. As roux turns brown, it is almost finished and will burn easily. Adding vegetables stops cooking process.

CHICKEN AND SAUSAGE GUMBO

8 boned and skinned chicken breast halves

Seasoning Mix

1 1/2 cups flour

1 cup oil, or more if needed

2 cups chopped onions

1 cup chopped green pepper

1 cup chopped celery

3 quarts chicken broth

1 pound spicy sausages, cut in bite-size chunks

1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

Cayenne pepper

2 cups sliced fresh okra or 1 package frozen, thawed

1 cup sliced green onions

1/2 cup minced Italian parsley

5 cups hot cooked rice

Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces. Rub with Seasoning Mix. Spoon flour into paper bag. Add chicken and shake to coat pieces. Remove chicken and set aside. Reserve flour.

Heat oil in large, iron stew pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken in batches and cook until brown and crisp. Drain on paper towels. Scrape browned bits from pan and strain oil to remove debris. Add more oil to make 1 cup and pour into pan. Set over medium-low heat. Add reserved flour and whisk constantly about 45 minutes until a smooth, brown roux.

Add and saute onions, green pepper and celery until tender. Slowly add broth, stirring continously to prevent lumps. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and add sausages, browned chicken and garlic. Season to taste with salt, pepper and cayenne. Simmer 30 minutes, stirring often.

Add okra and cook 15 to 20 minutes longer (about 10 minutes if using frozen okra), stirringgently to avoid breaking up okra. Remove from heat. Stir in green onions and parsley.

To serve, place 1/2 cup hot cooked rice in each soup plate and spoon gumbo over rice. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Seasoning Mix

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Combine salt, pepper, cayenne, paprika, onion and garlic powders.