Zydeco is exuberant dance music, from the Black Creole culture of southwest Louisiana. The word is believed to come from the French word “les haricots” (pronounced lay-ZAH-ree-coe). The full phrase “les haricots sont pas salés” (the green beans are not salty) appeared in many traditional Creole folk songs. It was a metaphor for times being so hard that people couldn’t afford to season their food, and those traditional songs evolved into zydeco dance music.