Check out the slideshow above to learn about some unexpected and exciting food and drink traditions from New Orleans and its largest annual celebration: Mardi Gras.

The name reflects the tradition of enjoying foods on this day before entering a period of more restrained practices during Lent. Carnival unfolds across a season, while Mardi Gras is one day.

Lent is a 40-day period of fasting and penitence leading up to Easter, and Mardi Gras served as an opportunity to enjoy rich foods and revelry before the solemnity began. The tradition made its ...

And while the prevalence of bead-related nudity is exaggerated, the sheer amount of food and drink celebrators will consume is not. In Louisiana, the traditional Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday ...

If you’ve never celebrated Mardi Gras before and want to this year, or you’re a Louisiana native thirsting for some of those traditional foods from back home, these seven foods will put a ...

The term ‘Fat Tuesday’ comes from the tradition of consuming rich, fatty foods before the fasting period of Lent begins on ...

We're talking authentic New Orleanian recipes. So ... Stuffed Peppers are a fun twist on traditional Jambayala and a great way to celebrate Mardi Gras this year! Colorful bell peppers are filled ...

ELLIOTT: So I want you to explain the little tradition of the ... drive Carnival season and Mardi Gras in New Orleans. ELLIOTT: That was Ian McNulty, dining and food culture writer for nola.com.