The Joys of Mirliton.
Succulent Lake Pontchartrain blue crabs are culinary treasures, prepared with patience and care. They are prized by seafood lovers for their briny sweet and nutty flavor. Many a celebratory meal and reveillon dinners are served where Lake Pontchartrain blue crabs are the centerpiece of a festive, groaning table. Every day is Thanksgiving in New Orleans.
New Orleans is a city of gustatory excess. There is something in the water that stimulates the appetite. Maybe it is the static excitement that charges the air and sets everyone's hairs a'tingle.
The mirliton harvest begins in October and it lasts until the Feast of the Epiphany. Plant mirliton vines in springtime and they will flower in September. The flowers are magnets for honeybees.
In Louisiana, only the fruit of the plant is eaten but other cultures consume the stalks, the leaves, and the roots. The thought of it turns the stomachs of gourmands, both Creole and Cajun.
A Cajun will usually eat anything, but he cannot stomach the thought of eating mirliton roots. To a Creole, eating any part of the mirliton plant but the fruit is akin to eating offal, which, unsurprisingly, is a popular menu item in Cajun country.
The humble mirliton is a hardy perennial with a lifespan of about eight years. In New Orleans, mirlitons are always planted in pairs. Experience shows that two mirliton vines, side-by-side, ensure maximum fertilization. This is why mirlitons are known as love apples in New Orleans.
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