What makes a New Orleans Gombo a Gombo?!

What makes a New Orleans Gombo a Gombo?

I am from Germany living 16 years now in the USA. I have heard about stews and stuff like that. And I am a pretty good cook myself. However, when it comes down to things like New Orleans clam and chowder or New Orleans Gombo ( do I spell Gombo right), well what makes it a Gombo? I love compfort food like that in the winter time. Any help. Pleaze!

6 hours ago
Thanks to all who are answering .And also for your patients in correcting my miss spelled words. Melissa thanks especially for the link and title. I will try to locate them both. Hopefully my winterizing veggies from my own garden will make my Gumbo's delicious!

It's GUMBO not GOMBO! :)

There are as many answers to that question as there are Cajuns in Louisiana!

According to my family (who hail from Thibodaux, LA, not far from NO), a "gumbo" is a roux-based stew that contains onions, peppers, celery, and various meats. it may have tomatoes, it may not. It may have Okra, may not. If okra is not used as a thickener, then Gumbo File is.

Go find a good cookbook and learn about it!

I recommend "The Black Pot Talks Back" if you can find it... although i can't find it listed online, it was written and published by a family who are native to Grand Isle, LA, I picked it up while vacationing there...

another good one is "Cooking with Cajun Women", here's a link... http://www.cooking.com/products/shprodde...

It's great, it tells about the life stories and all that that go along with cajun cooking. I enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoy cooking from it.

A word of warning, though- cooking a good gumbo is a time-consuming endeavour. My mother-in-law's chicken-and-sausage gumbo takes me about 4 hours to prepare!!! But, it is well worth it.

Melissa