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The holy trinity, Cajun holy trinity, or holy trinity of Cajun cooking consists of onions, bell peppers and celery, the base for much of the cooking in the regional cuisines of Louisiana. The preparation of Cajun/Creole dishes such as étouffée, gumbo, and jambalaya all start from this base.
Variants use garlic, parsley, or shallots in addition to the three trinity ingredients.
The holy trinity is the Cajun and Louisiana Creole variant of mirepoix; traditional mirepoix is two parts onions, one part carrots, and one part celery, whereas the holy trinity is typically equal measures of the three ingredients or two parts onions, one part celery, and one part green bell pepper.
Origin of the name
The name is an allusion to the Christian doctrine of the Trinity: Louisiana (especially the region of Acadiana) is a strongly Roman Catholic region.
The term is first attested in 1981 and was probably popularized by Paul Prudhomme.