"Perhaps no other Louisiana dish is as well-known as gumbo. Yet, as ubiquitous as it is, gumbo remains one of the least-understood and most-debated foods from the Bayou State. While everyone claims to know what gumbo is, practically no one can agree on what goes in one. Chicken or seafood, okra or filâe, tomatoes or no tomatoes? Bear fat was once a staple in gumbo, corn meal was incorporated into the dish before rice was, and ham was once more common than smoked sausage. Disputes also extend to gumbo's origins. Is it Cajun or Creole? Does it hail from Africa, France, or North America? Over the decades, historians have pieced together clues to explain gumbo's likely origin story and yet they have never reached a consensus, allowing plenty of room for varied interpretations and explorations. In Gumbo, Jonathan Olivier draws on interviews with academics and chefs, original historical documents, and anecdotal personal information to consider the evolution of gumbo in the Pelican State. Oliver canvasses its origins in eighteenth-century Louisiana and moves on to the changes gumbo underwent in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries due to the commercial of agriculture and general commercialization. He concludes with contemporary takes on the dish. Overall, this book provides a comprehensive look at gumbo that will inform and entertain both Louisiana readers and visitors to the state"--