The origins of this dish in the U.S. lead back to Creole heritage, as the word ‘okra’ is also known as quibombo in Spanish, and gombo in French. Slaves from West Africa introduced okra to the Caribbean and U.S. most likely in the 1700’s, and then the Creoles in Louisiana learned to thicken soups with okra (gumbo) which is now the essential ingredient in Creole Gumbo.

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The recipe below is based on what I was taught and how to make the famous dish from scratch. However, I must say that I have modified the recipe some, in the traditional recipe the chicken base and Parmesan cheese was not used, and instead of Cajun Spice Blend they used Paul Prudhomme’s Seafood Magic spice blend, which is a very good blend.

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A New Orleans themed tailgate can consist of many sub-themes and varied menu items depending on your approach.

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Both the brown rice and the sausage replacements make this dish higher in fiber and lower in saturated fat, and these two factors that do not compromise flavor, but enhance a well balanced meal. Served with fresh cornbread muffins and some creamed spinach on the side, this meal was a hit with our guests on Saturday evening dinner this past weekend.

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There must be about as many variations as there are the folks who make their own gumbo. I made a gumbo on Sunday afternoon and as usual it was a little different this time around. Some of the various gumbos out there include Filé Gumbo, Okra Gumbo, Seafood Gumbo, Gumbo Z’Herbes, Chicken Gumbo, Duck Gumbo, [...]

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