On October 12 we highlight National Gumbo Day.
This heavily seasoned, stew-like dish fills us up on chilly fall days.
Originating in southern Louisiana during the 18th century, Gumbo typically consists of strongly-flavored stock with meat or shellfish, a thickener, and seasoned vegetables.
The seasoned vegetables may include celery, bell peppers, and onions. In Cajun cuisine, the trio is known as the “holy trinity.”
Most people serve Gumbo over rice.
Gumbo also falls into different categories based on the following types of thickener used:
- African vegetable okra
- Choctaw spice filé powder (dried and ground sassafras leaves)
- Roux (the French base made of flour and fat)
Gumbo arose from a West African word for okra.
Many believe this word association is how the soup and the ingredient became intertwined.
Gumbo is thought to have been first documented in 1802 and was listed in various cookbooks in the latter 19th century.
It gained widespread popularity in the 1970s when the United States Senate cafeteria added Gumbo to the menu in honor of Louisiana Senator Allen Ellender.
Gumbo is also the official cuisine of the state of Louisiana.
Since 1989, New Iberia, Louisiana hosts The World Championship Gumbo Cook-Off.
