What makes a New Orleans Gombo a Gombo?

Question

I am from Germany living 16 years now in the USA. I have heard about stews and stuff like that. And I am a pretty good cook myself. However, when it comes down to things like New Orleans clam and chowder or New Orleans Gombo ( do I spell Gombo right), well what makes it a Gombo? I love compfort food like that in the winter time. Any help. Pleaze!

Thanks to all who are answering .And also for your patients in correcting my miss spelled words. Melissa thanks especially for the link and title. I will try to locate them both. Hopefully my winterizing veggies from my own garden will make my Gumbo's delicious!

Answer 1

It's GUMBO not GOMBO! :)

There are as many answers to that question as there are Cajuns in Louisiana!

According to my family (who hail from Thibodaux, LA, not far from NO), a "gumbo" is a roux-based stew that contains onions, peppers, celery, and various meats. it may have tomatoes, it may not. It may have Okra, may not. If okra is not used as a thickener, then Gumbo File is.

Go find a good cookbook and learn about it!

I recommend "The Black Pot Talks Back" if you can find it... although i can't find it listed online, it was written and published by a family who are native to Grand Isle, LA, I picked it up while vacationing there...

another good one is "Cooking with Cajun Women", here's a link... http://www.cooking.com/products/shprodde.asp?SKU=257613

It's great, it tells about the life stories and all that that go along with cajun cooking. I enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoy cooking from it.

A word of warning, though- cooking a good gumbo is a time-consuming endeavour. My mother-in-law's chicken-and-sausage gumbo takes me about 4 hours to prepare!!! But, it is well worth it.

Melissa

Answer 2

Being a former chef who has cooked in Cajun operations, everyone has it in a way, but true New Orleans Gumbo needs the brown roux, a good selection of meats and seafood, lots of vegetables, okra and finished with File powder and gorund sassafras powder a bit hard to find in Germany, I have been there.

The rest of the ingredients are not to hard to find, chicken, pork, sausages and seafood like shrimp, clam/mussels or scallops, you can find celery, onions, tomatos and parsley, the roux is a darker one than used for bechemel sauce, by browning the flour in the oven before adding it to the oil.

The best thing to do is to brown you meats and sausages first, then make the roux, then adding the onions, celery, peppers to the roux adding you liquid and tomato products, add back the meats and cook for 45-60 until the chicken and pork cubes are fully cooked. Taste for salt and pepper, if you like it spicy a dash of tabasco or Italian chil peppers can heat it up.

For serving, cook you rice, it goes well even with spatzeli, garnish it with chopped parsley and more chopped tomatos, I would use the canned ones for Italian tomato sauce, both the whole ones and the passata for flavour.

Answer 3

Gumbo is a hearty stew or soup originating in Louisiana, and found across the Gulf Coast of the United States and into the US South. It consists primarily of a strong stock, meat and/or shellfish, a thickener, and the vegetable "holy trinity" of celery, bell peppers, and onion. The soup is traditionally served over rice. A traditional lenten variety called gumbo z'herbes (from the French gumbo aux herbes), essentially a gumbo of smothered greens thickened with roux, also exists

The dish is very common in Louisiana among Creoles, Southeast Texas, southern Mississippi and the Lowcountry around Charleston, South Carolina, and down past Brunswick, Georgia. It is eaten year round, but is usually prepared during the colder months.

The stock is always as rich as possible, made with whatever complements the type of gumbo (seafood stock for seafood gumbo, chicken stock for chicken gumbo, etc.).

A typical gumbo contains one or more kinds of poultry, shellfish, and smoked pork. Poultry used is typically chicken, duck, or quail. Local shellfish such as the freshwater crawfish and crab and shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico are frequently used. Tasso and andouille provide a smoky flavor to the dish.

Gumbos can be broadly divided between the use of okra as a thickener, and recipes using filé powder in that role. Roux may be added to either, and nowadays it is quite common for roux to be the sole thickening agent itself. Mixing okra and filé is uncommon in Louisianan cuisine.

Another division in types of gumbo is between Creole and Cajun styles. Creole gumbos generally use a lighter (but still medium-brown) roux and may include tomatoes, while Cajun gumbos are made with a darker roux and never contain tomatoes.

Answer 4

New Orleans Gumbo is typically very spicy. Try some Tony Chatere's Creole Seasoning, which you can find at most grocery stores. I put this stuff on everything from eggs to fried chicken!

Answer 5

authenticity! I'm from texas, but have been living in New Orleans now for over 2 years. I'm not a big fan of seafood, but the food here rocks! Gumbo, when made right (authentically), is the best!

Answer 6

What makes it Gumbo is the roux - the mixing of the flour and butter to achieve a certain color (they can be light or dark). Traditionally gumbos have okra as an ingredient too and always have the chopped bell peppers, onions and celery as their "base".

Answer 7

well its actually spelled "gumbo". It is unique because it uses authentic seafood. Gumbo that I am familiar with uses shrimp, sausage, onins, green peppers, rice, and of course the sauce and the spices.

Answer 8

Gumbo Its got okra in it that makes it thick and wonderful