THREAD: What is Gumbo?

While Gumbo is far superior to Ramen, I fear we are disadvantaged by a knowledge gap between them. Ramen is available in mass produced maruchan packs, while gumbo is more of a regional dish. So, I am doing my part to educate leading up to the vote. (1/?) https://twitter.com/utwitily/status/1315872175618953216

Gumbo (French: Gombo) is a soup popular in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and is the official state cuisine. Gumbo consists primarily of a strongly-flavored stock, meat or shellfish, a thickener, and three kinds of vegetables ― celery, bell peppers, and onions.

Gumbo is typically divided into two varieties. Combinations traditionally common in New Orleans and southeastern Louisiana are known as "Creole" after the Louisiana Creole people, descendants of French and Spanish settlers, and enslaved African people, who lived in those areas

"Cajun" combinations were common in southwestern Louisiana, which was populated primarily by Cajuns, descendants of the French-speaking settlers expelled from Acadia (located within the modern-day Canadian provinces of Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island)

Meats which are often on gumbo include chicken, andouille (alligator) sausage, shrimp, crab, crawfish, and oysters among others. The broth is thick and spicy, and it is served with rice which is added last. Jambalaya is a similar dish which cooks the rice in the broth instead.

Gumbo is a social meal, particularly in Louisiana, where there are festivals and social events around it, and where it plays a key role in Mardi Gras. One of its hallmarks is it can easily be made to feed a large crowd, and it is economical, being a fine use for leftover meats.

There are many reasons you should vote for gumbo tomorrow, it is delicious, it is a cultural icon of Louisiana and the south, it’s a social meal which inspires community building, and it is the dish of the working class, important to rural white cajuns and black creoles alike