Stew versus Gumbo

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Is it just the amount of roux and the thickness?

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I think this is mostly it...but, I could be wrong.

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Is it just the amount of roux and the thickness?

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Basically, yes.

I always cook a lighter roux for stew vs. gumbo. I go milk chocolate color for stew, dark chocolate color for gumbo. Also, a stew is thicker.

:nottakingthebait:

The main difference between them is the "history" of a stew and a gumbo. All though a stew may have flour as a thickening agent it does not have a roux(oil/flour) base to it. Culturally it has its' roots in the northern(cold weather) veggies as prime ingredients in it. They tend to be bland on the seasoning end of the spectrum in comparison. Gumbos are a melange of the cookery of the regions closer to the equator, the Med produced the Spanish influence, Africa the okra, Cajuns give the overall effect of cheap ingredients(andouille, chicken, etc), living off the bounty of the land. Gumbos and the other cuisines close to the equator are heavily spiced to cover up spoilage of foods pre-refrigeration The Indians can be thanked for the sassafras which is the file.

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Cajun stew:

Heavy Roux, less water/stock than gumbo

Trinity (I only use onions and green onions)

Shramps or chicken or whatever

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:kige:

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My family grew up in southeast Louisiana (around Venice) and there was no potatoes,carrots,etc in their stews and they ate more stews(especially seafood and wild animals) than gumbos. This is just something that made me wonder about the difference.

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As far as I am concerned... Gumbo is a "soup" flavored and thickened a bit with roux.

Stew is not soup, but it also has roux. Its thicker. You probably eat it more like rice and gravy (although what I traditionally call "rice and gravy" would not have roux in it really).

I think you can probably put trinity in either.

I don't remember ever making a gumbo out of rabbit... but you could. I wouldn't make a pork chop gumbo either. But I would make stews out of both.

sometimes there is nothing like a good beef stew, especially this time of the year.. beef tips, potatos, carrots, onions and i love adding parsley flakes to it as well as a little beer for some special flavoring.

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The main difference between them is the "history" of a stew and a gumbo. All though a stew may have flour as a thickening agent it does not have a roux(oil/flour) base to it.

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Cit, then there must be 2 versions of stew. For argument sake, lets call one a "Les American stew" version - - - and the other a "French/Acadian stew" version.



I have had the "Les American" version with NO ROUX, beef tips, carrots, potatoes, lima beans, etc.

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The French/Acadian version, with heavy roux, and none of the vegetables mentioned above, or others.

Wasn't it a stew discussion that got heated a while back?