A Variety of Gumbos

One of the tastiest and colorful dishes in American cuisine is gumbo.This rich stew is now undergoing some tweaks and updates.Are these new versions just as good as the original? Yes!

Brett Anderson,a New Orleans restaurant critic and food writer, contributed this fascinating piece in today's New York Times Food section.Gumbo is one of the pillars of Southern cooking.It is the classic dish of New Orleans, first coming to the city with enslaved Africans in the 1700's.It's name comes from the Bantu word for okra. Like the city itself, different nationalities  contributed to the dish , making it unique.The indigenous Americans added file or sassafras  as a thickened.The French contributed roux, the flour and lard mixture that serves as the area's base.Other ethnic groups added spices and sausages,along with the holy trinity of Cajun cooking, celery, onions and
peppers.


Like New Orleans, the dish is still constantly changing.Hurricane Katrina redefined the city in 2006.New ethnic groups came in, changing the city along with its '  cuisine.Gumbo takes on an Indian flavor at Saffron Nola. Chef Arvinder  Vikhu  fell in love with the dish thirty years ago after trying it in a New Orleans hotel.He gave the dish a different vibe ,enlivening  it with ginger, turmeric and ginger. A Far Eastern influence comes from the Vietnamese and Chinese restaurants that dot New Orleans' outskirts.Restaurateur Marcus Jacobs uses their flavors in his restaurant, Marjie's Thai curry gumbo.Some,such as the grand dame of Cajun cooking,Leah Chase, scoffs at this.She is the owner of the famed Dooky Chase.Hers is a traditional made with either  Andouille sausage or chicken.A few chefs have even served potato  salad with gumbo.This is sacrilege.The dish has to be served with rice although some chefs have used basmati and jasmine  kinds with it.

Gumbo is just New Orleans itself.It's constantly changing yet retains its'  roots.It will still go on, reflecting a rich and varied heritage.
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