GUMBO

a literal melting pot

Do you believe in world peace? Do you find food appetizing? If so, let us introduce you to a soup that fuses elements of French, Spanish, Choctaw and African cuisines to create a spicy stew with the power to unite us all.

Making gumbo is an arduous process that takes you back to a simpler time, when women spent many hours a day chained to a hot stove. Except now, we want to do it, because the past seems cool and the present…not so much. Stirring a pallid lump of oily dough and watching it slowly, slowly (slooooowly) turn into a smooth mahogany paste with a kick to it will make you believe in a higher power (or at least in chemistry).

After that, it’s all improvisational, like jazz. Shrimp, sausage and game hen can all be thrown in gumbo. Got a squirrel you just killed in the backyard? Throw it in. And then there’s the okra. A recent article in The Atlantic claims that American food has the fewest textures of any cuisine on Earth. It’s time to change that! Okra may be referred to as “mucilaginous,” but that’s actually a good thing! That slimy goopiness (or goopy sliminess?) makes the gumbo thick and rich. Some people use filé powder (dried, ground sassafras leaves) as a thickener instead, which tends to get stringy. More texture, hooray! Serve your gumbo over rice with your favorite hot sauce.

FOR FANS OF: Chonky sustenance

PAIRS WELL WITH: NPR’s World Cafe

FIND IT ON: A stovetop near you