Gumbo is a dish most often associated with Louisiana,
specifically New Orleans. This traditional Creole dish primarily consists of a
strongly flavored stock, okra, meat or shellfish, a thickener and seasoning
herbs and fresh vegetables including bell pepper and onions.
Any combination of either meat or seafood can used to in
Gumbo, but not both. Meat-based gumbo
may consist of chicken, duck, squirrel, rabbit or alligator. Seafood-based
gumbo usually contains shrimp, crab or oysters. The traditional New Orleans
version of gumbo is the only version which features both sausage and seafood.
The most common version of gumbo features chicken and sausage.
Gumbo actually combines ingredients and culinary practices
of several cultures reflecting the history of the assimilation of immigrants to
southern Louisiana including, West African, French, Spanish, German and Choctaw
(native American). Gumbo is thought to have been based on a traditional, native
West African dish which may have also been influenced by the French
bouillabaisse.
The word gumbo was likely named after its two main
ingredients, okra and file. Okra is known as ngombo or quingombo in Bantu
languages. In the language of the Choctaw people, file, or ground sassafras
leaves was called kombo.
Home chefs looking to conjure up the taste of New Orleans as
Mardi Gras approaches can get a head start using Red Bean Gumbo which can be found at O'Meagher Farms' All Natural Louisiana Red Bean Gumbo Soup Mix.
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