Period Gumbo Soup

[Albert Sailhorst]

From "Housekeeping In Old Virginia", by Marion Cabell Tyree, 1877

Gumbo Soup

Fry two fowls, old or young, with parsley, pepper, salt, onion, lard or bacon.

Put it in the pot with water sufficient for the soup. One quart sliced okra, scrap of ham or fried sausage to boil with it.

Sassafras Gumbo is made in the same way, except after the fowl has boiled until the flesh has left the bone, just before taking off the fire, stir in one tablespoonful sassafras flour. Oysters are a great improvement to sassafras gumbo. Gather the sassa-fras leaves green, and dry in the shade, as sage; when thoroughly dry, rub through a sieve and bottle and cork tightly. It is nice in beef soup instead of okra.

 

[donna]

Sassafras Gumbo sounds tasty. Always liked Sassafras Tea.

 

[lupaglupa]

I was in New Orleans recently and got some file powder, which is impossible to find in New York. I need to get a gumbo going soon!

 

[RaggedAssSecond]

Go for the tender young fowls. Old birds can be tougher to eat.

 

[lupaglupa]

My dad used to complain about modern chickens and how tasteless they are. He said when he was a kid they would stew an old hen for a long time to get the meat tender and it was so flavorful. He thought these pullets they raise fast and sell young did not compare.

 

[Bur Oak]

From "Housekeeping In Old Virginia", by Marion Cabell Tyree, 1877.

... Gather the sassa-fras leaves green, and dry in the shade, as sage; when thoroughly dry, rub through a sieve and bottle and cork tightly. It is nice in beef soup instead of okra.

Sassafras leaves as an herb! I didn't know they were edible. Of course the rabbits that kept nibbling my seedling to the ground until I put chicken wire around it certainly knew. Furry little b_______!

 

[G Low]

From "Housekeeping In Old Virginia", by Marion Cabell Tyree, 1877

Gumbo Soup

Fry two fowls, old or young, with parsley, pepper, salt, onion, lard or bacon.

Put it in the pot with water sufficient for the soup. One quart sliced okra, scrap of ham or fried sausage to boil with it.

Sassafras Gumbo is made in the same way, except after the fowl has boiled until the flesh has left the bone, just before taking off the fire, stir in one tablespoonful sassafras flour. Oysters are a great improvement to sassafras gumbo. Gather the sassa-fras leaves green, and dry in the shade, as sage; when thoroughly dry, rub through a sieve and bottle and cork tightly. It is nice in beef soup instead of okra.

It sounds good if someone else cooked it. I'll have to keep using this it's not bad with good shrimp and hot sausage ….

 

[Albert Sailhorst]

It sounds good if someone else cooked it. I'll have to keep using this it's not bad with good shrimp and hot sausage ….View attachment 541328

I love Zatarain's and use it if I don't want to spend too much time cooking. It's a good product!

 

[Albert Sailhorst]

This is the homemade Gumbo that I made tonight with Shrimp and Mussels, served with homemade Sourdough French bread and homemade wine!

 

[donna]

Meal looks so good.

 

[G Low]

This is the homemade Gumbo that I made tonight with Shrimp and Mussels, served with homemade Sourdough French bread and homemade wine!

View attachment 541334

Don't know which one looks better, what a perfect pairing!!!

 

[G Low]

Wish I had some leftover gumbo….

 

[7th Mississippi Infantry]

This is the homemade Gumbo that I made tonight with Shrimp and Mussels

That looks delicious!

My favorite is a seafood gumbo:
Shrimp, crab and whatever firm "white fish" is available.

Regarding the 1877 recipe, I'm glad it's called a soup, as there was no mention of a roux, along with was is commonly referred to as "the trinity" ... which is chopped celery, bell pepper, and onion. Note: go easy with the bell pepper or risk killing the final taste.

While a great gumbo can be made with any ingredients on hand, it's not a true gumbo unless it starts with a roux. (pronounced "roo" as in kangaroo). A roux is a gravy made of flour and vegetable oil/lard ... constantly stirred over low heat for at least 45 minutes to an hour.
One or two beers may be in order for whoever volunteers to stir the roux.

A word about sassafras:
One can't just thow-in some sassafras leaves.
These leaves must be dried for awhile and then ground into a very fine powder.
At that point it becomes known as filé (pronounced fee-lay) ... an old Choctaw Indian invention given a French name.

Use only a pinch of filé in each bowl before serving.
As filé was also used as a natural laxative "back in the day".

 

[Albert Sailhorst]

Meal looks so good.

Thanks!
Come on over, there's plenty left!

 

[Albert Sailhorst]

Wish I had some leftover gumbo….

Take a Road Trip.....I have about a gallon left!

 

[Albert Sailhorst]

That looks delicious!

My favorite is a seafood gumbo:
Shrimp, crab and whatever firm "white fish" is available.

Regarding the 1877 recipe, I'm glad it's called a soup, as there was no mention of a roux, along with was is commonly referred to as "the trinity" ... which is chopped celery, bell pepper, and onion. Note: go easy with the bell pepper or risk killing the final taste.

While a great gumbo can be made with any ingredients on hand, it's not a true gumbo unless it starts with a roux. (pronounced "roo" as in kangaroo). A roux is a gravy made of flour and vegetable oil/lard ... constantly stirred over low heat for at least 45 minutes to an hour.
One or two beers may be in order for whoever volunteers to stir the roux.

A word about sassafras:
One can't just thow-in some sassafras leaves.
These leaves must be dried for awhile and then ground into a very fine powder.
At that point it becomes known as filé (pronounced fee-lay) ... an old Choctaw Indian invention given a French name.

Use only a pinch of filé in each bowl before serving.
As filé was also used as a natural laxative "back in the day".

I agree about calling it a Soup. I had the same opinion (because of the lack of roux and Trinity) as I posted the recipe.

 

[68coupe]

Gumbo is called that because the French word for okra is "gombo". Yes, it has Cajun roots, but trinity and roux are not what make it gumbo.

Respectfully, Karl, 68coupe

 

[delta rifles]

Gumbo is called that because the French word for okra is "gombo". Yes, it has Cajun roots, but trinity and roux are not what make it gumbo.

Respectfully, Karl, 68coupe

The word gumbo comes from the West African word ki ngombo meaning okra and the plant itself is of Eastern African not European origin although the plant was introduced to Europe in the Middle Ages. Whether the word became part of the french language after its introduction is another story, but the word is certainly not originally linguistically french.This is very similar to the arabic origins of Spanish words that begin with al (almond, etc). They may be part of the Spanish vocabulary now but were borrowed from other language families.

Nevertheless, okra--like rice-- was introduced to North America by slaves and not Europeans.

Ground sassafras in the form of file as its roots in Native American cuisine, and the roux as a base of French origin is quintessential to American creole or cajun cuisine (and many Soul Food dishes which isn't surprising given the nature of the early American slave trade). It quite literally binds the stock and the flavors together.

You cannot have real gumbo...light or dark.. in any manifestation without first starting with its base otherwise it is just a soup.
That being said, the purpose of okra and file is to act as a thickening agent like the roux to make the gumbo thicker.

Depending on where you are in the state will determine secondary ingredients used (you'd never find tomatoes in a traditional cajun gumbo but you'd find it in certain creole gumbos depending on where you are in the state), what was available seasonally , and possibly what you had on hand when cooking; but all start with its base--the roux.

Gumbo is one thing...but the difference between red and brown jambalaya is a whole different story.

 

[lupaglupa]

It's my understanding that if you have three experienced gumbo cooks you will have at least four opinions on what is allowed and correct in a gumbo and what is not. The only thing they will agree on is that their own grandmother made it the "right" way.

 

[68coupe]

Wish I had some leftover gumbo….

Like many, many ethnic foods, it's always "better the second day". I think we can all agree on that.

V/R, Karl, 68coupe