The Greatness Of Gumbo

By Kirsten Hawkins


Perhaps nothing is better        called audouille. There is    
known as a staple of Cajun       also duck and oyster gumbo, as
cuisine than gumbo, a spicy,     well as a variety of gumbos   
hearty stew or soup whose name   made with other fowl, such as
literally means okra.            quail or turkey. Rabbit can be
Called one of the greatest       used for gumbo, as can the    
contributions of Louisiana       Cajun smoked pork known as    
Cajun kitchens to American       tasso. Gumbo z'herbes from    
cuisine, it came to that state   the French gumbo aux herbes,  
with the first French            gumbo of smothered greens     
settlers, who loved              thickened with roux, also     
bouillabaisse, a highly          exists, and was commonly eaten
seasoned French stew. Unable     during Lent, when meat was    
to find their usual              traditionally forbidden by the
ingredients to make              Church.                       
bouillabaisse, they                                            
substituted local ingredients    Gumbo was originally made     
such as shrimp, fish, and        with okra, and some,          
okra. After a century mixing     especially in Southeast       
with Spanish, African, and       Louisiana would argue that    
native cuisine in the region,    anything made without okra can
the step was no longer           not rightly be called gumbo.  
recognizable as its French       Okra gumbos usually feature   
precursor and was instead        lighter meats, such as chicken
something completely new        or shrimp, and the okra is    
gumbo.                           cut into pieces and simmered  
                                 in the pot along with the meat
Still extremely common in        and the three spices that     
Louisiana, gumbo is also found   form the so-called Holy       
all along the Gulf of Mexico,    Trinity of Cajun cooking     
and is often eaten in the        onion, celery, and bell       
cooler months, when the          pepper. Other spices, and     
extended cooking required to     rarely processed meats such as
make the usually large batches   sausage, are then added to    
of the dish will not heat up     the mix. Contrary to popular  
the room to uncomfortable        belief, it is frowned upon for
levels.                          a chef to make Cajun cooking  
                                 overly hot or peppery these  
Gumbo consists of two main       are left to the diners        
components rice and broth.      themselves if they wish to add
The two are mixed together       more spices later.            
only for serving, and while                                    
new rice must be prepared        Gumbo can also be made with a 
daily, broth can be frozen and   roux base, which has a much   
saved for future                 stronger taste and takes any  
consumption.                     sort of meat. Roux by itself  
                                 is often very dark, though it
Rice for gumbo is usually        can be combined with okra to  
white or parboiled rice          make a lighter stock. Fil, a  
steamed or boiled with salt or   powder made of dried and      
a touch of white vinegar for     ground sassafras, can also be
flavor. There is some dispute    used as a base for gumbo,     
over the proper ratio of rice    though it is never, under any
to gumbo damp rice, for         circumstances, combined with  
those who like a lot of rice     okra. Originally, it was used
with their broth, and, on the    as a substitute when okra was
opposite extreme, only a         not in season. In modern      
modicum of rice. In some         times, it is commonly added as
areas, it is also common to      a powder to a roux based      
add potato salad to the gumbo,   gumbo.                        
either with or without rice.                                   
                                 Regardless of its base and    
The broth comes in several       history, gumbo remains a tasty
varieties. One of the most       staple of Cajun cooking.      
common is seafood, containing                                  
crab, oysters and/or shrimp.                                   
Equally common is chicken                                      
gumbo with the Cajun sausage     

About the author:
Kirsten Hawkins is a food and nutrition expert specializing the Mexican, Chinese, and Italian food. Visit http://www.food-and-nutrition.com/for more information on cooking delicious and healthy meals.


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