January 26, 2008
True Cajun Gumbo??
brilanna asked:
Can anyone please explain to me why it is that people keep mentioning tomatoes in gumbo. A true gumbo is brown not red! I get so sick and tired of seeing people putting it in thier recipes. Tomatoes makes it a stew not gumbo. I was born and raised in Louisiana. I still live here. I have NEVER ever seen anyone put tomatoes in thier gumbo. So can someone please explain to me why it is that people think tomatoes go in it? Well really not just tomatoes. I've heard on several cooking shows they say anything and everything goes in the pot to make a gumbo. NO PEOPLE IT DOESN'T! Basically I'm just curious as to where this myth started and why?
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Comments on True Cajun Gumbo??
they use it in Creole Cooking…New Orleans from what I have heard! Don't use tomatoes in my gumbo either…
I have always fixed my seafood gumbo with tomatos
In fact I put tomatos in my chicken and sausage gumbo
I think it's because Cajun and Creole cooking have become popular across the country and you have chefs and restaurants trying to cash in on the craze by making their version of stew and calling it "Gumbo".
It's like the crawfish craze. Crawfish used to be very inexpensive in Louisiana until it became popular. A lot of it goes to Texas where they like the crawfish a lot bigger like miniature lobsters, while in Louisiana the traditional crawfish is much smaller. It's just another example of how another location will take something traditional and put their own spin on it to cash in on the craze.
Texans…. They'll do anything.
I found this reference to a gumbo-like-preparation that contains tomato.
I think I'll let y'all be the judge, heah!
Best wishes!
They would probably put the tomatoes in a gumbo when they put okra in also.The true sign of good Gumbo is a rich brown roux.I have eaten Gumbo with tomatoes in it, and it had okra,too.My favorite is Seafood Gumbo with shrimp,crab,and Richards crazy Cajun sausage in it—I miss that sausage sooo much.(you anywhere close to Vinton?)When you eat Gumbo again, think of someone that sure misses it—Donna.
Okra was introduced to America via Africa. In Africa "okra" is refered to as kingombo, thus gumbo. There is absolutely no possible way anyone can make "gumbo" without using okra. Otherwise, you just have soup, or stew. It does not matter if you make a roux or add tomatoes; you cannot call it "gumbo" without starting with okra. I must admit, gumbo has to be brown, muddy looking as the Mississippi River; not red. But it is not gumbo if you do not start with okra.
I totally agree. I am from Rayne, and all my family has lived in Acadiana for centuries. NO TOMATOES! That's the creole way, not cajun. I am a chef, and there is nothing in the world that would make me put tomatoes in any gumbo, not for anyone. Then it would no longer be a gumbo. Period.