You guys do know that gumbo is a multicultural creation that white people were definitely involved in, right? (Some sources say it primarily originated from a French stew by the Acadians. Whether it was them, the Native Americans in Louisiana, or slaves who actually had the first version of gumbo, modern gumbo definitely wouldn't exist without all of those cultures.) IDK about the history of tofu or dulce de leche, but that post was definitely wrong about gumbo.
Gumbo in particular originated in 18th century Louisiana and was pioneered primarily West Africans in the Cajun and Creole cultures of the time. The ingredients they used were of mixed origin, including certain ingredients they took from Choctaw people and French people in the area, but it is not a "White" food in that the two groups who created and developed the food in its recognizable form as "gumbo" were Black.
I think you're confusing the fact that Creole folks are the descendants of French and Spanish settlers who intermarried with West African and Native American folks (for the most part) and that Cajun folks were descendants of French-speaking Acadians who intermarried with other groups, which doesn't mean they were necessarily all or even mostly White; the term "Creole" meant that they had been born in Louisiana rather than having a different home country, so they were probably mixed at the very least. Obviously, Louisiana Creoles and Cajuns have claims to gumbo; it's very much a regional dish, but it's not something all White people can claim because it's not a "White" thing. It developed in a smaller group of people who had been exiled by the White majority and created in essence a sub-culture.
But, I mean... it's still food. There's not really a way to appropriate food unless it has deep religious or ceremonial meaning, which gumbo doesn't no matter who you're talking to. Y'all can eat it if you want—just don't complain about all the spice!
Mod T
