NEW ORLEANS - From cochon de lait po-boys to pecan catfish meuniere, food is almost as important at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival as the music.

Thousands of people flocked to stands selling food and drinks distinctive to southern Louisiana on Sunday.

Katrina Kiernan was eating a soft-shelled crab po-boy - the local name for sandwiches. During the weekend she'd already tried the crawfish Monica, the cochon de lait po-boy and the crawfish streudel.

She said she'd heard that the crawfish Monica - a crawfish and pasta dish made with plenty of cream and butter - was rumored to be a thousand calories. But shrugged her shoulders and said. "Who cares?"

The food is generally from restaurants or catering companies around the New Orleans area and southern Louisiana.