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uilt on a foundation of the Holy Trinity of bell peppers, 
onions, and celery mixed into a rich roux, no trip to 
Creole or Cajun country would be complete without a 
hearty bowl of gumbo tickling your throat as its back 

notes of heat creep their way across your tongue and set your taste 
buds on fi re. And while it might seem a dish that would impress no 
one with its humble pedigree combining African, French, Spanish, 
German, and Choctaw cuisines, its hodge-podge mixture of humble 
ingredients come together in undeniable harmony to create a 
culinary wonder whose richness and depth of fl avors could charm 
even the most impervious soul into believing that gumbo cooking is 
magic at its best.

Little wonder is it, then, that gumbo has earned the honor 

of being the offi cial state cuisine of Louisiana, where the thick 
stew reigns supreme; and the recipe for a bowlful of soul is in the 
repertoire of anyone who knows their way around a stockpot and a 
stove. And while making the proper roux could cause a great rift in 
the family when it comes to dark or light, the foundation is still the 
same as the fl avors come together to create perfection in a pot. Still, 
the argument could be made that the darker the roux, the richer 
the stew, as the darker it is, the more intense the fl avor. And as its 
traditional mixture of stock, spices, sausage, poultry, and seafood 
are added to roux and Trinity, no human can resist the undeniable 
allure of the scents that waft from its spellbinding ingredients. 

A BOWFUL OF SOUL

story by

 

Liesel Schmidt

24-25 - Coastal Cuisine.indd   1

1/28/19   4:30 PM