Gumbo
There is nothing better to represent a true taste of New Orleans than gumbo, a filling soup that is usually prepared in large, black, iron pots. A cultural and gastronomical symbol of Louisiana, it can be based on seafood and okra with tomatoes, or on turkey and chicken with added ham, sausage, and poached oysters.
Perhaps rabbit or a wild duck will be the main stars, accentuated in flavor by tasso ham. Regardless of its base, gumbo is always intensely fragrant and aromatic with onions, garlic, bay leaf, and thyme, its thick and rich liquids ladled into bowls with an accompaniment of steamed white rice.
Gumbo evolved from the French pot-au-feu, when the slaves from West Africa added okra as a thickener to the already roux-thickened French stew. If okra was not in season, filé powder was added, made from dried and crushed sassafras leaves, giving the dish a new layer of viscosity and a unique flavor. Read more
Whatever its variety of ingredients may be, gumbo must always include rice, roux (a combination of fat and browned flour that changes the flavor and modifies the thickness), and another thickener, be it okra or filé powder, but never both at the same time.
Filé is typically used in thicker gumbos with sausages and chicken, while okra is used in lighter gumbos with seafood. Finally, a note for all gumbos - the ones that taste the best are those which had been left for a day or two and were then reheated, giving the ingredients a chance to combine into a flavorful and complex dish.
