Whether or not you add this side dish to your gumbo is a big deal in Cajun cuisine.
Earlier this year, I had the chance to visit Louisiana during peak gumbo season. In fact, I was fortunate enough to attend the annual gumbo festival in Chackbay, dubbed by gubernatorial decree in the 1970s as “The Gumbo Capitol of Louisiana.” So I was surrounded by people who know gumbo, inside and out. But what I was totally unprepared for was the side dish that was being served with the gumbo: potato salad.
The potato salad was always served on the side, but many festival goers were dumping it right into their gumbo. That’s right: creamy potato salad in a warm cup of gumbo. I had never seen anything like it in my life. And, apparently, it’s a tradition that has murky origins and die-hard defenders.
Why do people put potato salad in gumbo?
Like most grand food traditions, no one really knows how or why it got started. There is a lot of speculation that it has to do with the significant German roots in the area, many immigrants having come over in the 1800s. Chef John Folse, one of the nation’s leading experts on Cajun cuisine, told the Baton Rouge Advocate that it’s possible the tradition came out of the need to stretch a pot of gumbo to feed as many people as possible. Sometimes that meant including hard-boiled eggs, which then eventually turned into potato salad.
While I was talking to people in Louisiana about this whole gumbo-potato salad thing, I was reminded of another culinary debate back home: whether or not ketchup belongs on a hot dog. The short answer: No! The long, nuanced answer: Listen, anyone can put any topping on their hot dog. But if you’re thinking of a classic Chicago-style hot dog, it’s been perfectly calibrated to be enjoyed without ketchup. It’s got fresh tomato wedges, so the ketchup becomes unnecessary.
How do people feel about putting potato salad in gumbo?
Anthony Goldsmith, owner of Kajun Twist & Grill, was born and raised in Galliano, LA. His stance? “I personally don’t put it in my gumbo, but I dip it. So, I scoop some from the side, dip in the gumbo, and go for it.” See, there’s some nuance right off the bat.
Chef Brent Daigle of Grady V’s restaurant, born and raised in Thibodaux, has a different take. “For me, it has to go in the gumbo. It’s just how I was raised. You have potato salad, and you put it in the gumbo. I mean, if you really want to, you can put in a little scoop at a time…but it’s gotta go in there.”
Gina Griffin, owner of Griffin’s Restaurant, takes an even stronger stance: “That’s a debated question, but if you’re a true Cajun, it goes in it.”
As someone who had the pleasure of eating at all three of these restaurants while I was in Louisiana, I feel like I have to give them props for standing their ground. The food I ate in their establishments was delicious. But when it comes to putting potato salad in gumbo…I just couldn’t do it. The reason is a little bit anticlimactic: I’m allergic to eggs. Potato salad has mayo, ergo, none for me.
I have absolutely no objection to eating a cup of gumbo “plain” when it’s filled to the brim with andouille sausage, tender chicken, rice and roux. I guess I will never be a “true” Cajun, but I’m glad to at least be an honorary one whenever I visit.
Related:
