Louisiana cuisine: A gumbo of cultures

Louisiana's famed dish, gumbo, is as mysterious as it is accessible. Kiran Mehta tries her hand at cooking this flavourful staple

“Is it a soup or a stew?” I ask Jim, my co-passenger, on my flight into New Orleans, the most populous city of Louisiana, USA. The simple question leaves him thinking. “I’m not sure,” he admits. Jim isn’t the only one who can’t agree on what the dish actually is.

There are heated Reddit threads and online polls dedicated to this, and the jury is still out. “You can’t define it. You just gotta taste it,” says another local I meet during the Mardi Gras celebrations. Dressed as Venus, the Roman goddess of love, she makes gumbo sound like an emotion — much like love, but the kind that won’t elude you!

In fact, gumbo is on the menu at many restaurants across New Orleans. But if you’re looking for more than just a hearty meal, head to the Mardi Gras School of Cooking, where you can learn how to make it. Chef Mark Falgoust teaches us how to make gumbo with a twist: instead of the usual meats and seafood, we’re dishing out a vegetarian gumbo. “It’s pretty simple to make,” assures the chef, as some of our class admit to being not-so-great cooks. We start by chopping up onions, green bell peppers, and celery — a trio seen in Cajun and Creole dishes.

All-in-one

Gumbo is a one-pot dish made with vegetables and herbs in this class. Traditionally, it would also contain meat or seafood. But its origin story isn’t that simple. A range of people and cultures created the ‘official dish of Louisiana’, a state with a complex past of French and Spanish annexations. When the French settled here in the late 1600s, Native Americans were already living in Louisiana. Over time, the state became home to French, Spanish, African (largely West African), people of Canadian, Latin American, Anglo, and German descent. Louisiana State Museums highlight that by the 18th century, along with Native Americans, immigrants brought their own spices and recipes, contributing to the famous ‘gumbo’ of cultures.

Back to the gumbo making — it’s now time to make the roux. The French influence is evident in the roux, a mixture of flour and fat, which serves as a thickening agent. With the addition of butter, an uplifting aroma fills the air, reminding me of biscuit dough.

Okra as a thickener

Many gumbo recipes also call for okra as a thickener, reflecting the African influence. The word “okra” itself comes from the Igbo language of Nigeria. Historical accounts trace gumbo to Africa. In West Africa’s Bambara language, “gombo” means okra. Other origin stories link it to the Bantu languages of Central Africa, where okra was known as “ki ngombo” or “quingombo” in Kimbundu.

Next, we throw in the vegetables and seasonings. Some versions, influenced by Creole cooking, also add tomatoes to the pot.

The seasonings are mostly Cajun, with pre-mixes available in supermarkets. You could make your own with combinations of paprika, thyme, oregano, ground black pepper, and garlic powder. 

There are recipes that use filé powder, which Chef Falgoust calls the ‘magic’ ingredient. It’s known to bring depth without adding bite. The green-coloured powder is made from dried and ground sassafras, attributed to the indigenous Choctaw people.

I dig into gumbo, complete with a dollop of rice, and it seems somewhat familiar to my palate, thanks to our curries. It has the same comfort factor as dal-chawal, with zest and punchy flavours from the Cajun seasoning. It reminds me of the flavour that achar adds to my khichdi bowl. That said, there is no documented desi link to the dish.

(Origin Story attempts to satiate your curiosity about the history of a certain ingredient or dish.)