re: What makes a great gumbo?

quote:

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Gumbo is often categorized by the type of thickener used: the African vegetable okra, the Choctaw spice filé powder (dried and ground sassafras leaves), or roux, the French base made of flour and fat. The dish likely derived its name from either the Bantu word for okra (ki ngombo) or the Choctaw word for filé (kombo).

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Without okra...it is a stew.

Without its name sake, its something different. My example are the people that order a Caesar salad with ranch dressing. That's impossible since the caesar dressing is what makes a "caesar" salad.

That would be a "salad with romaine lettuce with ranch dressing"...not a "caesar salad with ranch."