If added during the boiling process, filé makes the gumbo too ropey when added at the end, the gumbo gains a slightly stringy texture. Ground sassafras leaf, known as filé, is generally not added to the gravy until after the vegetables and meats or seafood have finished cooking and have been removed from the heat source. According to The Oxford Companion to Food, okra-based gumbos are becoming less popular, as the okra texture has become less palatable to changing tastes. This mucilaginous vegetable is usually cooked first, and other ingredients added once the desired consistency is reached. Okra is more often used as a thickener in seafood gumbos than those with meat. Roux can be used alone or in conjunction with either of the other thickeners. Traditionally, okra and filé powder are not used in the same dish, although this rule is sometimes broken. Gumbo broth or gravy derives from three primary thickeners: okra, filé powder, and roux. Tomatoes are sometimes used in seafood gumbo, but traditionally few other vegetables are included. The key is to use a tender andouille so it does not become too chewy." Most varieties of gumbo are seasoned with onions, parsley, bell pepper, and celery. Andouille sausage is often added to both meat and seafood gumbos to provide " piquancy, substance, and an additional layer of flavor" to the dish. Seafood-based gumbo generally has shrimp, crab meat, and sometimes oysters. Meat-based gumbo may consist of chicken, duck, squirrel, or rabbit, with oysters occasionally added. Any combination of meat or seafood can be used. Gumbo is a heavily seasoned stew that combines several varieties of meat or seafood with a sauce or gravy. Stir the Pot: The History of Cajun Cuisine, p. There are as many gumbo recipes as there are cooks. Gumbo is a veritable art form in Louisiana. Even today, in the Central African Republic, okra is often referred to as gombo. In the language of the native Choctaw people, filé, or ground sassafras leaves, is called kombo. In the Bantu languages spoken by many enslaved people from Central Africa, the vegetable okra was known as ki ngombo or quingombo the word is akin to the Umbundu ochinggômbo and the Tshiluba chinggômbô "okra". The dish was likely named after one of its two main ingredients, okra or filé. Scholars and chefs have offered various explanations for the etymology of the word "gumbo". The name of the dish comes most likely from Africa by way of Louisiana French. The popularity of chef Paul Prudhomme in the 1980s spurred further interest in the dish. The dish gained more widespread popularity in the 1970s, after the United States Senate dining room added it to the menu in honor of Louisiana Senator Allen Ellender. It was first described in 1802, and was listed in various cookbooks in the latter half of the 19th century. Gumbo may have been based on traditional native dishes, or may be a derivation of the French dish bouillabaisse, or Choctaw stew, but most likely all of these dishes contributed to the original recipe. The dish combines ingredients and culinary practices of several cultures, including African, French, Spanish, and Native American Choctaw. A third, lesser-known variety, the meatless gumbo z'herbes, is essentially a gumbo of slow-cooked greens. If desired, filé powder is added after the pot is removed from heat. The dish simmers for a minimum of three hours, with shellfish and some spices added near the end. After the base is prepared, vegetables are cooked down, and then meat is added. Sausage or ham is often added to gumbos of either variety. Cajun gumbo is generally based on a dark roux and is made with shellfish or fowl. ![]() Creole gumbo generally contains shellfish, and a dark roux, filé, or both. ![]() The flavor of the dish has its origins in many cultures. The preferred method in the historical New Orleans variation is with a French dark, even chocolate-like, roux. Gumbo can be made with or without okra or filé powder. ![]() Gumbo is often categorized by the type of thickener used, whether okra or filé powder (dried and ground sassafras leaves). Gumbo consists primarily of a strongly flavored stock, meat or shellfish (or sometimes both), a thickener, and the Creole "holy trinity" – celery, bell peppers, and onions. state of Louisiana, and is the official state cuisine. Gumbo ( Louisiana Creole: Gum-bo) is a stew popular in the U.S.
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