The varied folk traditions of South Louisiana, from Cajun music and Creole zydeco to cooking of gumbo and building Lafitte skiffs, reflect the great diversity of the region's natural and cultural environments. To describe French southern Louisiana as a diverse "folk region," however, is difficult, for such areas are generally defined as culturally homogenous, with relatively stable populations.

To be sure, there are regional unifying features in South Louisiana: the French language (Cajun dialects and Creole), Catholicism (over 50%), festivals, folk foodways (gumbo, jambalaya, boudin sausage, andouille, etc.) and traditional material culture