With this weekly post we want to introduce you into the culinary range of the English speaking world. Each week we present you an iconic dish and give you information around its origin, preparation and eating habits. Our first recipe comes from Lousiana, one of the Southern states in the US.
Louisiana’s iconic dish
Gumbo is an iconic dish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The dish combines ingredients and culinary practices of different cultures, such as African, French, Spanish, German, and Choctaw – a native American people originally occupying the Southeastern United States (modern-day Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, and Louisiana). The name of the dish comes from one of its main ingredients: Okra. The word „Gumbo“ derives from the Niger–Congo languages which were spoken by many slaves from West Africa. Gumbo is often used as a metaphor for the mix of cultures that exist in southern Louisiana.
Gumbo is typically divided in two varieties: Creole and Cajun Gumbo. The creole version refers to the Louisiana Creole people who are descendants of French and Spanish settlers, as well as enslaved African people. The Cajun version was populated primarily by Cajuns, descendants of the French-speaking settlers expelled from Acadia ( a colony of New France in northeastern North America which included parts of eastern Quebec, the Maritime provinces, and Maine to the Kennebec River) in the mid-18th century.
How to prepare Gumbo
In this interactive video you will find some more a recipe, background information as well as some tasks. In order to make sure that the interactive elements in this Video are displayed correctly, please use the full screen mode.
We are looking forward for your experiences with this recipe. If you have any other suggestions for a recipe of the week, do not hesitate to contact us!
