It's fatty, smoky meatiness calls for some bland richness, like potatoes, pancakes and eggs, some sweetness like orange juice, apple sauce or maple syrup, and even some bitterness like black coffee. Hey, sounds like breakfast is ready. Enough walkin' around, I ready to get high on a hog. Several years ago I was in New Orleans to deliver a speech to a few hundred professional chefs on New World Cuisine. Which after a glass of Champagne or two out there in the Garden in a ravishingly beautiful sunlit day we all were.
Gumbo comes from the African word 'ngumbo' which means okra.
Now not all gumbos contain okra, but that matters little now. Gumbo is a most hospitable dish to the cook in that allows for a very democratic opportunity to use up a variety of foodstuffs. Often a mix of poultry, pork sausages, shellfish, possibly rice and vegetables are involved with gumbo. I like to make gumbo. It's a bit of a challenge in that involves making a roux.