The Louisiana Territory was claimed by Robert Cavelier de La Salle in 1682 and named for King Louis XIV. In French, "La Louisiane" means "Land of Louis".

Louisiana is the only U.S. state with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are equivalent to counties.

Turducken is a dish consisting of a deboned chicken stuffed into a deboned duck stuffed into a deboned turkey. Louisiana-bred chef Paul Prudhomme is credited with the invention of this meat monstrosity--or masterpiece, depending on your perspective.

Driskill Mountain is the highest natural summit in Louisiana, with an elevation of 535 feet (163 m) above sea level. Only Delaware, Florida and the District of Columbia have lower highest-elevation points.

Breaux Bridge became so well known for its crawfish farming and cooking that, in honor of its centennial celebration in 1959, the Louisiana legislature officially designated the city as "la capitale Mondiale de l'ecrevisse" or "the crawfish capital of the world".

The botanical name of the sweet potato (Ipomoca batata) was derived from the American Indians of Louisiana who were growing them in native gardens as early as 1540.

The French name le bâton rouge ("the red stick") is the translation of a native term rendered as Istrouma, possibly a corruption of the Choctaw iti humma ("red pole").

The world's longest continuous bridge over water is the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway in southern Louisiana. The causeway is actually two parallel bridges, with the longer of the two measuring 23.83 miles (38 km).

Several popular cocktails were invented in New Orleans, including the Hurricane, a sweet alcoholic drink made with rum, lemon juice, and passion fruit syrup. The drink is credited to New Orleans tavern owner Pat O'Brien. His bar allegedly started as a speakeasy called Mr. O'Brien's Club Tipperary and the password was "storm's brewin'".

The large, creamy-white bloom of the magnolia tree was designated the state flower in 1900 because of its abundance throughout the state. The magnolia is an evergreen and the flower is unusually fragrant.