Central Louisiana is a world of changing landscapes, from the rolling Cajun prairie on its western side to the bottom land hardwood forests and oxbow lakes of the east, which end only at the banks of the Mississippi River. Local cooking varies just as widely. A strong Cajun influence in the lower half of this trail merges with Southern-style cooking in the upper half, where most menus offer crisp friend catfish and a side of hush puppies. But this is also smoked meat territory, and an abundance of smoke houses in the Cajun parishes convert pork and beef into spectacular sausages with names like boudin, andouille, tasso, and ponce.