It’s Saturday night in homes across Louisiana and TV sets are tuned to the LSU game.  Fans get excited as the game unfolds.  And the adrenaline doesn’t stop at halftime as they head for the good.
Smells of gumbo often greet hungry fans as they dig in.  It doesn’t take long for them to find the bottom of their gumbo bowls. From the compliments, it’s a “thumbs up” consensus for the chef.
What makes gumbo so appealing?  And where did this dish come from?  
Traveling across the Atlantic Ocean as early as the 18^th century, West Africans cooked up a version of gumbo, which may have originated from the Bantu word for okra, ki ngombo, according to Joyce Jackson, director of African and African American Studies at LSU.
Most people aren’t aware of the African food traditions, notes Jackson, especially younger generations.
West Africans already had knowledge of rice culture, according to Jackson, adding they “put a lot of okra in it with a mixture of seafood. Theirs is thicker than ours.”
Gumbo was first documented in 1802 and the dish was added to recipe books in the 19^th century.
After slavery involuntarily brought Africans, among other places in the Western Hemisphere, to southern Louisiana within the creole culture, West Africans introduced their distinct food, including gumbo and jambalaya.
Working in the “big house,” or the master’s living quarters, slaves added their own touch to dishes. After the plantation owners’ family and friends enjoyed what was served, the leftovers were not discarded.
Soul food is what remained and slaves created dishes like chitlins to feed their families, said Jackson.
Much like soul food, gumbo was made in a similar fashion. The main ingredients set gumbo apart from other African influenced dishes in Louisiana culture.  
Gumbo features okra, an African vegetable, a distinct tasting stock, the Choctaw Indian inspired filé powder (dried sassafras leaves), roux (a French influenced base that includes fat), seasoned vegetables and meat and/or shellfish. The mixture was and is normally placed over rice for the end product.
Although gumbo is a common dish in Louisiana, there is a variety of ways to cook it. Creoles have a distinct way of cooking this delicacy and so do Cajuns.
“There is a Cajun way as opposed to a Creole style,” said Warren Perrin, chairman of the Acadian Museum in Erath.  “Where they [Creoles] use tomato paste, you would just use the roux. The Creole gumbo is more readily available in New Orleans, whereas if you want Cajun gumbo and you live in rural areas, you would have had to use what was available.”
In spite of the difference in styles, Perrin acknowledges the African influence on the dish.
Although some Louisiana natives don’t know the African influence in gumbo preparation today, this doesn’t stop cooks from putting their own spins on gumbo and being proud of the results. 
Willona McNeal, a native of Alexandria, uses sausage, shrimp and chicken breasts for the meat ingredient in her gumbo.
“After cleaning the meat, I boil the sausage in a separately because of the grease,” said McNeal, as she refers back to her recipe book.  “Then, I add my seasonings before I add the shrimp and the roux in last.”
Some people include homemade roux in their gumbo, but others, such as McNeal, use a prepared, store-bought roux mix.  She says they work the same.  “Add how much you want to get the color you want as far as the gravy.”
McNeal doesn’t think that gumbo is difficult to make, especially since her mother gave her the recipe a month ago.  “Just add your own little flavor.  Everyone does it differently.”
The role of family has played a major part in continuing the African and Choctaw food traditions, such as gumbo. Through word of mouth and recipe books, these traditions have survived the test of time.
“People maintain and retain that which is of value to them,” said Jackson.    There are a select few in Louisiana who do know about the African influences. For them, curiosity and family helped shine light on the historical aspect of one of Louisiana’s most famous dishes.
Derrick Joseph, a Lake Charles native, researched on his own to learn more while using his family as a resource. He learned how to make gumbo in college and still uses his grandmother’s style of cooking it.
“I messed up five times and got it right on try six.” 
He acknowledges his grandmother’s influence, but shies away from the idea of a secret ingredient.  “I cook with a lot of soul and passion.”
Reminiscing on how long gumbo has lasted in Louisiana culture, Joseph attributes this to “keeping it traditional and keeping heritage going in cooking.”
 “You don’t want to forget where you came from,” said Joseph.