Instructions: CREOLE AND CAJUN COOKING - Many confuse Cajun cooking with Creole cooking; there are also distinct differences. Cajun cooking, a combination of French and Southern cuisines, is robust, country-style cookery that uses a dark roux and plenty of animal (usually pork) fat. Creole cookery reflects the combination of French, Spanish and African cuisines. Its style, with an emphasis on butter and cream, is more sophisticated than Cajun cooking. Both cuisines rely on the culinary "holy trinity" of chopped green peppers, onions and celery and make generous use of file powder.

CRAWFISH - Any of various freshwater crustaceans that resemble tiny lobsters. Crawfish range from 3 to 6 inches long.

FILE POWDER (FEE-lay) - Choctaw Indians from the Louisiana bayou country are said to have been the first users of this seasoning made from the ground, dried leaves of the sassafras tree. Its used to thicken and flavor gumbos and other Creole dishes. File has a woodsy flavor reminiscent of root beer.

GUMBO - This Creole specialty is a thick, stewlike dish that can have any of many ingredients, including vegetables such as okra, tomatoes and onions, and one or several meats or shellfish such as chicken, sausage, ham, shrimp, crab or oysters. The one thing all good gumbos begin with is a dark roux, which adds an unmistakable, incomparably rich flavor. Okra serves to thicken the mixture, as does file powder, which must be stirred in just before serving after the pots off the fire.

JAMBALAYA - One of Creole cookerys hallmarks, jambalaya is a versatile dish that combines cooked rice with a variety of ingredients, including tomatoes, onion, green peppers and almost any kind of meat, poultry or shellfish. The dish varies widely from cook to cook.

KING CAKE - A coffeecake-type treat baked to honor the three kings who arrived in Bethlehem on the 12 th night bearing gifts for the Christ child.

Traditionally, a ban, a coin or a golden bejeweled ring was placed in each cake.

The lucky guests who chose the pieces with the surprises in them would be the king and queen for the evening. Today, commercial bakers place a plastic doll, symbolic of baby Jesus, in the cake. Whoever gets the piece with the baby is supposed to bake the next cake.

MUFFULETTA - _ A specialty of New Orleans, this hero-style sandwich originated in 1906 at the Central Grocery, which many think still makes the best muffuletta in Louisiana. The sandwich consists of a round loaf of crusty Italian bread, split and filled with layers of sliced provolone, Genoa salami and ham topped with olive salad, a chopped mixture of green, unstuffed olives, pimentos, celery, garlic, cocktail onions, capers, oregano, parsley, olive oil, red-wine vinegar, salt and pepper. The olive salad is what sets the muffuletta apart from any other sandwich of its ilk.

ROUX (ROO) - A mixture of flour and fat that, after being slowly cooked over low heat, is used to thicken mixtures such as soups and sauces. There are three classic roux - white, blond and brown. The color and flavor is determined by the length of time the mixture is cooked. Both white roux and blond roux are made with butter. The former is cooked just until it begins to turn beige and the latter until pale golden. Both are used to thicken cream and white sauces and light soups. The fuller-flavored brown roux can be made with butter, drippings or pork or beef fat. Its cooked to a deep golden brown and used for rich, dark soups and sauces.

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