What is "gumbo"

Gumbo \Gum"bo\ (g[u^]m"b[-o]), n. [Written also gombo.]

1. A soup thickened with the mucilaginous pods of the okra; okra soup. Especially, A thick stew made with chicken ( chicken gumbo), or seafood ( seafood gumbo), thickened with okra or file, and also containing greens and often hot spices; it is particularly popular in Louisiana.

2. The okra plant or its pods.

1805, from Louisiana French, probably ultimately from Central Bantu dialect (compare Mbundu ngombo "okra").

n. 1 (context countable English) The okra plant or its pods. 2 (context uncountable English) A soup or stew made with okra. 3 (context uncountable English) A fine silty soil that when wet becomes very thick and heavy.

1. n. any of various fine-grained silty soils that become waxy and very sticky mud when saturated with water [syn: gumbo soil]

2. tall coarse annual of Old World tropics widely cultivated in southern United States and West Indies for its long mucilaginous green pods used as basis for soups and stews; sometimes placed in genus Hibiscus [syn: okra, okra plant, lady's-finger, Abelmoschus esculentus, Hibiscus esculentus]

3. long mucilaginous green pods; may be simmered or sauteed but used especially in soups and stews [syn: okra]

4. a soup or stew thickened with okra pods

Gumbo is a stew that originated in southern Louisiana during the 18th century. It consists primarily of a strongly-flavored stock, meat or shellfish, a thickener, and the Cajun holy trinity of vegetables, namely celery, bell peppers, and onions. Gumbo is often categorized by the type of thickener used, the vegetable okra, the Choctaw spice filé powder (dried and ground sassafras leaves), or roux, the French base made of flour and fat. The dish likely derived its name from either a word from a Bantu language for okra (ki ngombo) or the Choctaw word for filé (kombo).

Several different varieties exist. Creole gumbo generally contains shellfish, tomatoes, and a thickener. Cajun gumbo is generally based on a dark roux and is spicier, with either shellfish or fowl. Sausage or ham is often added to gumbos of either variety. After the base is prepared, vegetables are cooked down, and then meat is added. The dish simmers for a minimum of three hours, with shellfish and some spices added near the end. If desired, filé powder is added after the pot is removed from heat. Gumbo is traditionally served over rice. A third, lesser-known variety, the meatless gumbo z'herbes, is essentially a gumbo of slow-cooked greens sometimes thickened with roux, with rice served on the side.

The dish combines ingredients and culinary practices of several cultures, including French, Spanish, German, West African, and Choctaw. Gumbo may have been based on traditional West African or native dishes, or may be a derivation of the French dish bouillabaisse. It was first described in 1802, and was listed in various cookbooks in the latter half of the 19th century. The dish gained more widespread popularity in the 1970s, after the United States Senate cafeteria added it to the menu in honor of Louisiana Senator Allen Ellender. The popularity of chef Paul Prudhomme in the 1980s spurred further interest in gumbo. The dish is the official cuisine of the state of Louisiana.

Gumbo the Dog is one of two official mascots of the NFL's New Orleans Saints, the other being Sir Saint. Gumbo is in the form of a Saint Bernard dog and wears the number 00. It was the Louisiana Restaurant Association's gift to the Saints. From the New Orleans Saints' website:

Even though Gumbo went into a brief retirement, he was brought back by popular demand.

For years, Gumbo was, in fact, a real Saint Bernard dog that roamed the sidelines in Saints' apparel for dogs. The reason for choosing this breed of dog is the fact that Orleans Parish (where the City of New Orleans lies) shares a border with St. Bernard Parish to the east. The present mascot consists of a person wearing a Saint Bernard dog head and a football uniform. He is usually seen on the sidelines during games near the goalpost and sometimes celebrates touchdowns with Saints players.

"Gumbo" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Jay Rock, released as the second single from his second studio album, 90059. The song is produced by frequent collaborator J. LBS.

Gumbo is a spicy, hearty stew or soup.

Gumbo may also refer to:

• Gumbo (mascot), the mascot dog of the New Orleans Saints
• Okra or gumbo, a flowering plant with edible green fruit
• Gumbo!, a 1963 album by Pony Poindexter with Booker Ervin
• Dr. John's Gumbo, an album by Dr. John
• Gumbo, a character in Gumby
• Gumbo, the pet St. Bernard dog in EastEnders
• Gumbo, the family name of the characters in Rose Is Rose
• Gumbo, the code name for Adobe Flex 4
• "Gumbo", a 1994 song by Phish from A Live One
• Black Gumbo is a Texan name for Vertisol
• Gumbo (band), a rap trio from Milwaukee, Wisconsin

"Gumbo" is a song by the American band Phish. It is a funk/ jazz song written around 1990 by Phish guitarist and lead vocalist Trey Anastasio and drummer Jon Fishman. It is the third track from their 1995 live album A Live One and was released as their ninth promotional single by Elektra Records in 1995.

Like "Split Open and Melt," "Gumbo" started out as a strong tune but one that had a destiny that didn’t lie solely in its composition. A mix of acid jazz and loose funk attended with three-part harmonies and silly lyrics, it had all the ingredients for greatness. The first several versions clearly lacked something, which seemed to be fulfilled with the addition of horns – five times on the Giant Country Horn tour in 1991 and twice with the West Coast return of the horns (in 1994). The (12/2/94) version appears on A Live One (from which it was the second single released) as well as the European compilation, Stash.