Gaines Foster, in Baton Rouge, asked a Curious Louisiana question that gets to the heart of much of Louisiana: Why is it that some people put potato salad in gumbo along with the rice?
Foster, a long-time history professor at LSU who recently retired as head of the history department, says he had never heard of someone putting potato salad in their gumbo until a few years back. When someone served it to him, he was shocked at how much he liked it.
"When I asked locals about it, some had never heard of the practice," he said. "So I became curious about where in the state gumbo was eaten that way and why the practice developed."
Foster's question strikes a nerve for some. Though no one argues about rice's place in the gumbo, the question of potato salad elicits strong opinions.
For the uninitiated, there are places in Louisiana where serving potato salad with gumbo is part of the fabric of life. Specifically, in Acadiana, potato salad and gumbo are as connected as peanut butter and jelly, Batman and Robin or Romeo and Juliet.
Crab gumbo with lumps of crabmeat and potato salad at the Gloriette, the restaurant at the Southern Hotel in Covington. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
Stella Theriot, who lives in the Vermilion Parish hamlet of Gueydan, says her husband's family questions the scruples of any restaurant that serves gumbo but not potato salad.
"My husband's brother Bob, if he goes to a restaurant and they have gumbo and no potato salad. Now, he causes a stir," Theriot said.
Theriot considers herself "a Cajun girl." As far back as she remembers, into the 1960s, when her family made gumbo, they also made potato salad. Personally, she does not put her potato salad in her gumbo, but many in her family do.
Louisianans, we're in luck. The cooler weather is finally here, and Thursday is National Gumbo Day.
Dakota Dupont, front-of-house manager at the legendary Cajun restaurant Prejean's in Lafayette, says the ratio of those who put the potato salad in the gumbo to those who keep it on the side is about 50/50.
Servers at Don's Seafood in Lafayette say the split is about the same at their restaurant. Half the people put potato salad in their gumbo and half keep it on the side.
Louisiana historian and UL history professor Michael Martin, in Lafayette, hypothesizes that the region's German influence may have brought the potato salad to the gumbo party.
"There were two influxes of German population in Louisiana in the 1800s. First was the German population in New Orleans in mid-19th century, which was a substantial population," Martin said. "The second was in the late 19th century. They didn't come directly from Germany — they came by way of the Midwest and settled more in the Acadiana area."
Duck and Andouille Gumbo and Potato Salad
The second group of Germans brought large-scale agricultural ideas, specifically about rice production, with them. German names are still common around Acadiana, particularly in the prairies west of Lafayette. Zaunbrecher, Waguespack, Schexnayder and many more German family names have become a part of the landscape.
"I wonder if the idea of mixing the rice and potato salad together didn't originate with those Germans," Martin said. "'Why mix potato salad in with gumbo?' is a curious question. First off, there hasn't historically been a lot of potato production in south Louisiana, but it does work well as a soup thickener."
Martin describes the potato salad commonly served with gumbo as "the yellow mustardy" type.
"The potato salad I'm used to down here is almost like what you see in deviled eggs," he said. "I wonder if the Germans brought the concept to the table, literally."
Barry Jean Ancelet, a Cajun folklorist, says he's not sure the answer to the potato-salad-in-the-gumbo question is as complicated as that. He wonders if maybe it was as simple as keeping everything in one plate.
Barry Ancelet's book 'From Behind the Mask: Essays on South Louisiana Mardi Gras Runs,' provides an insight to an oft-overlooked part of Mardi gras culture.
Personally, he keeps his gumbo away from his potato salad.
"I'm willing to wash another plate," Ancelet said. "I prefer my gumbo in one bowl and my potato salad in another."
Ancelet notes the old tradition of putting a boiled egg in gumbo, adding it doesn't seem like a stretch from there to adding in the potato salad, which he says is "a common side, not necessary, but common."
Chef John Folse also cites boiled eggs when it comes to the question of potato salad in gumbo — and more.
"Similarly, boiled eggs (which stood in for meat) would have been added to dishes such as shrimp stew, spaghetti, or even vegetable dishes such as mustard greens," wrote Michaela York, vice president of marketing and communications at Chef John Folse & Company, in reply to the potato salad question.
File photo of Chef John Folse, right, serves up a hearty gumbo to host 'Why Louisiana Ain’t Mississippi … or Any Place Else!' host Jay Dardenne.
York offered additional background from Folse, who grew up in a large family on River Road. He said many people who lived on River Road, particularly the Folse family, were of French and German origins.
"All the families had large vegetable gardens and all were hunting families. Many hungry mouths, especially the six growing Folse boys, needed substance," York wrote. "Teal duck and andouille gumbo fed many hungry, growing Folse boys. To stretch the meal a bit further, potato salad was added to the side of the bowl. With each spoon of the gumbo, you would also get a scoop of potato salad."
