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Can you reading this now†¦ Good. Well here I am again in the kitchen I just can’t seem to get out of it. But today I will be telling you about one of my favorite dishes Gumbo, along with this I’ll be giving you a little history of the Cajun or Creole culture. I’ve had the honor of working with a few true Creole chefs along with the honor of meting Emerald Lagassi. So before we get into going to the store to buy the ingredients lets look at the Creole culture a bit. The French introduced a soup called bouillabaisse that served as a major influence in the creation of gumbo, a New Orleans signature dish. Combining butter and flour over heat formed their thickening agent, the roux. This classic French technique was later modified and expanded by various cultures to create numerous colors and tastes. This is what Big John called the mother of the Gumbo universe. It’s the sun that heats all the other planets around it. The Spanish spiced everything up by adding tomatoes and peppers in sauces and meat dishes. For instance, Shrimp Creole derives from the combination of a roux with tomatoes. Spanish paella traditionally a seafood and rice dish evolved into the Creole staple jambalaya, simply by adding ham or other seasonal ingredients. The Germans brought the knowledge and skills of sausage making. They arrived with a wide assortment of meat and dairy products as well. The Germans provided access to delicacies previously unavailable in South Louisiana. Italians brought to the New World their famous red gravies, garlic and bread crumbs. These primary ingredients were assimilated into local cooking staples to create stuffed artichokes, eggplant and mirliton (a type of squash). The foods characteristic of Native Americans included corn-based breads and cereals, squash (particularly mirlitons), bay leaves, and dried beans. They used persimmons in syrups and chokecherries to season smoked meats. Their largest contribution, however, was powdered sassafras leaves. Now referred to as filà © powder, this spice acts as a thickening agent in stews and soups. The people from the West Indies introduced rare vegetables and cooking styles, which also transformed Creole cuisine. They favored a slow cooking technique called braising, which allowed the ingredients to co-mingle into a richly layered flavor. This method was later imitated for gumbo African Americans in New Orleans were farmers and sophisticated cooks that united regional crops such as rice, beans and green leafy vegetables with traditional African ingredients like okra, yams, onions and garlic.