But we have other food traditions that are not so well known. Each cultural group has retained food traditions, and even within cultural groups, traditions vary from community to community, and family to family. Food traditions are particularly intriguing because they are some of the most persistent of traditions. Generally, people resist changing their food patterns. As a result, food often becomes closely tied to cultural identity and can reveal cultural processes such as blending, diffusion, or maintenance.
Gumbo is an excellent example of cultural blending, or creolization.
This dish so closely identified with south Louisiana, melds African, European, and Native American cultures. The word itself is derived from the Bantu word for okra, nkombo. Any gumbo researcher soon discovers that there are many types and that there is no consensus about what makes a good gumbo. If your family prefers an almost black roux, your family probably has ties to the prairies west of the Atchafalaya Basin. If your family prefers a lighter roux or you add tomatoes, you are more likely to have ties to southeast Louisiana east of the Atchafalaya.