gumbos

Louisiana okra stews

Gumbos is the plural of gumbo, a thick stew originating in Louisiana that typically combines meat or shellfish with okra or filé powder over rice.

The dish reflects the region's cultural blend—African, French, Spanish, and Native American influences.

Gumbo also refers to okra itself, and to a heavy, sticky clay soil that becomes slippery when wet: The roads turned to gumbo after the rain.

dish

stews

Simmered meat dishes

  • okraEdible mucilaginous pod
  • rouxCooked fat-flour paste
  • filéSassafras leaf powder

andouille · sausage · shrimp · crab · chicken · holy trinity · celery · onion · bell pepper · Cajun

cultural

Louisiana

Gulf Coast pelican state

African · French · Caribbean · heritage · tradition · soul food · comfort food · communal · potluck · gathering

cooking

darkening

Growing less bright

seasoning · thickening · cast iron · Dutch oven · stock · broth · ladling · slow-cooked · one-pot · stewing

Opposites
soup/stew regional tradition

gumbosconsommés

Clarified, concentrated meat broths

broths · chowders · clam chowders · New England clam chowder · bouillons

culinary complexity

gumbosbouillon cubes

Compressed dehydrated broth

soil type

gumbossandy soils

Ground dominated by coarse particles

Phrases
Family

gumbo

Familiarity
Top 500,000
Profile
Mostly American · Timeless · Concrete · Positive · Everyday, not technical · Rated G