Have you decided to try cooking a delicious American stew named gumbo?
Where Does Gumbo Come from?
Gumbo is extremely widespread and loved by most Americans, and this dish is really exquisite. Gumbo is eaten but all people, it doesn’t matter if they are successful and rich or they are regular people, all of them adore gumbo stew. Actually, the recipes of gumbo vary a lot and there are plenty of ingredients, which differ from one dish to another.
Many American restaurant owners are redesigning their restaurant flyers and including these Gumbo dishes in order to attract more consumers to their establishments.
The history of gumbo soup begins in 1802 when it was mentioned in several cooking books and it grew in popularity for centuries. In 1970s this dish captured imagination of Louisiana people and it became their official state dish, its popularity is still rising as its taste is unforgettable.
Each year in fall the cooks compete in cooking the best gumbo and inventing the tastiest gumbo recipe. The competition is commonly held in New Iberia. If you want to taste special and unusual or traditional gumbo dish, visit this even and you won’t regret it. People from many countries are attracted to Louisiana places to eat the most amazing gumbos there.
The gumbo dish has its roots from many countries and cultures like Americans, French, Africans, Spanish and some other cultures.
Can You Eat Gumbo Without Rice?
It’s a common practice when a gumbo stew is served together with rice. In most cases stew is poured on the top of the rice bowl and you might see it in many pictures. But, in fact, gumbo should be served with the rice separately, one dish of gumbo stew and one dish of rice. Of course, you can eat gumbo without rice, especially if it has some meat in a recipe, you might be full even with the gumbo stew itself. It’s just a matter of taste and habit.
What Sides Go Good with Seafood?
There are also multiple opinions concerning what side dishes are perfect for the gumbo serving, but some qualified cooks give the following suggestions:
- Try to serve simple additional dishes with gumbo, it will help taste and appreciate it better.
- Usually gumbo is served with a rice bowl
- A portion of fresh salad with greenery and some veggies and some corn bread or French bread are a perfect addition to the taste and flavor of this exquisite seafood stew.
What Do You Drink with Seafood Gumbo?
With gumbo it’s perfect to have some wine and depending on what kind of gumbo you are having, the taste of a wine should be different. With spicy gumbos sweeter red and white wine might become wonderful pairing, and with the rich but nor spicy gumbo stew you should try some dry white wines. For a common gumbo with seafood Sauvignon Blanc or a bottle of Pinot Gris would suit the best. It doesn’t mean that you will like this pairing, still, you can try and see if you loved it or not.
Appetizers to Serve with Gumbo
Plenty of people love eating gumbo stew with the following appetizers:
- Hush puppies, which are corn pancakes
- Watermelon and garlic bread
- Crab legs or crab fingers
- Barbeque shrimp
- Okra hush puppies
- Wedges of sweet potatoes
- Spicy crab dips etc.
The choice is almost endless and sometimes quite unexpected like some fruits or desserts, for instance, but you would be really surprised to feel how amazingly all this food tastes with the gumbo stew.
What Dessert Goes with Gumbo?
Often, sweet potato pies are used as a dessert for gumbo. Also you might often find the info that a lemon pie is perfect for matching with the gumbo stews. It’s really so as citrus flavors bring more taste and uniqueness to the gumbo soups. Bread puddings or strawberry shortcakes or banana fosters may have a perfect match for the gumbo bowls and a happy evening in a warm company.
Chicken Gumbo Side Dishes
When cooking chicken gumbo you might also cook some rice (traditionally), then make some fresh green salad and get some bread, corn or French bread. What is not desirable to serve with the gumbo dish, which got chicken in it is seafood side dishes as mixing seafood and meat isn’t the best idea, after all. In Louisiana you my meet a lot of other unusual recipes to go with the gumbo.
What Should Be Served with Jambalaya?
Jambalaya is a dish with plenty of ingredients and it makes it pretty hard to mix and pair with the other dishes. But here are some tips for cooking the additional dishes for it. The best choice is cooking corn. Cornbread, corn on the cob or grilled corn would fit perfectly with the jambalaya taste and richness. Okra and chard, or cabbage would suit the dish too.
What to Serve with Gumbo and Jambalaya?
It’s best to serve these two wonderful Creole dishes with various types of bread, some corn dishes or simply grilled corn or corn on the cob and some potato salad. Potato salads are also quite widespread suggestions for serving and pairing with these dishes. Potato salads are usually made with veggies and mustard. The New Orleans style dishes and their pairing would impress the guests or the family in a greatest way, if you cook such sets of Creole food. Also, as it was said earlier, cabbage leaves and okra would suit the creole set in the best way and taste for everybody.
Now you may find so many recipes and examples of cooking these dishes in the most delicious and special ways. Don’t lose time and try something new and spicy and rich for the family dinner or party. In case you love watching videos on YouTube rather than reading recipes, enjoy these pieces:
