Celebrated annually on October 12th, National Gumbo Day is a holiday that honors a soup made with a strong stock, meat and/or shellfish, celery, bell peppers, onions, and some type of thickener such as okra or filé powder. It’s a dish that’s highly popular in the U.S. state of Louisiana but is enjoyed in other parts of the country as well.

Its name comes from the West African word for okra, and it’s a dish that has been enjoyed since at least the early 19th century, if not earlier. All good reasons why you might want to enjoy this dish on this holiday.

The History of Gumbo

Although we tried our best to uncover who invented National Gumbo Day, we were unable to discover its creator. We were also unsuccessful in uncovering when gumbo was invented.

All that we know about this soup is that it was developed in Southern Louisiana from a mishmash of different culinary practices—most notably, the culinary practices of the French, Spanish, Native Americans, and Africans.

It was more than likely invented sometime during the 18th century—possibly well before the time that control of the area was passed from French to Spanish control in 1762.

Some of the Different Gumbo Types

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of different gumbo recipes, so you have an almost unlimited variety to choose from. We don’t have the space to list the names and recipes of all the gumbo dishes we liked, but we can list the names of the ones we like the most below.

Feel free to look up the following recipes and make them for your National Gumbo Day celebration.

• Chicken Gumbo
• Crawfish Gumbo
• Turkey & Andouille Sausage Gumbo
• Seafood & Okra Gumbo
• Cajun Gumbo
• Gumbo Z’herbes
• Chicken & Andouille Gumbo

Observing National Gumbo Day

If you’re looking to enjoy National Gumbo Day, then all you have to do is make one of the different types of gumbo that we’ve listed above and share it with family and/or friends. While you’re enjoying the gumbo of your choice, don’t forget to use the hashtag #NationalGumboDay on your social media posts for the day.