Generally speaking, a gumbo is a thick, dark soup containing a
mixture of rice, vegetables, and meat or seafood. Gumbo is often cited as an example of the melting-pot nature of Louisiana
cooking, but trying to sort out the origins and evolution of the dish is highly
speculative. The name derives from a West African word for okra, suggesting
that gumbo was originally made with okra.
Dr. Carl A. Brasseaux, of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, who
has written the definitive history of the Cajuns, found that the first
documented references to gumbo appeared around the turn of the 19th century. In
1803, gumbo was served at a gubernatorial reception in New Orleans, and in 1804
gumbo was served at a Cajun gathering on the Acadian Coast. With Gumbo there are
just two hard and fast rules: a gumbo must always contain rice, and it
must always be thickened with something. Most gumbos are, in fact,
double-thickened - first with a dark, oil-based roux, and then using either
okra or filé powder, but never both (to connoisseurs, this as uncouth a
practice as blending a Bordeaux with a Riesling). Roux, there are raging controversies over what constitutes a proper gumbo
roux. Roux, of course, is flour that has been browned in oil or some other fat.
Both cooks and eaters have their own opinions on how dark the roux should be
and how much should be used in a gumbo. There is no agreement on these matters,
as anyone who has tasted gumbos from different cooks can attest. Don't know what filet powder is? Here's a link to splain Lucy! Filet Powder
So that, to quote Paul Harvey’s so eloquently coined
phrase is the rest of the story! I’m
going to step you through the Roux and my chicken and sausage gumbo. It is a time consuming process that luscious
lady roux but, will be the base of the
gumbo that will jump up and kiss your mouth so hard you’ll squeal like a
suckling pig at a barbeque! Come on let’s
take this ride! I’ll post the recipe in
the proper section shortly! 
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