Most people think of gumbo as a soup or stew from Louisiana, typically made with chicken or shellfish, Andouille sausage, bell peppers, celery, and onions, and thickened with okra pods.

But in the beginning, “gumbo” was simply the word for okra in the African Bantu language.

Okra came to America with the slave trade and was introduced to the Southern white population by their African cooks. Okra became the vegetable associated with the American South*.

Okra is a flowering plant in the mallow family, Malvaceae, which also includes cacao, cotton, hibiscus, the kola nut (the base flavor of cola drinks) and the “king of Asian fruits,” the durian, known for its strong aroma and large, thorny husk.

The valuable part of the okra plant is its edible green seed pods. The geographical origin of okra is disputed, with champions of Ethiopian, West Africa, and even South Asia. Today, the vegetable is cultivated in tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate regions around the world. [Ssource]

Okra is used in casseroles, soups, stews, and sides; added, cooked, to salads and sandwiches (try an okra grilled cheese). It can be fried or stuffed (like poppers).
 
But perhaps the easiest way to enjoy okra is Rick’s Picks Smokra, the most amazing smoked okra pickles. We always buy the six-packs and love them as low-calorie snacks, as exciting garnishes for dinner guests and to give as gifts.

June is National Okra Month.
 
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*Okra is also an important ingredient in cuisines in areas as far-flung as Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
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HOW SHOULD YOU COOK OKRA?

We consulted the experts on the best ways to use okra. Here are Southern Living’s recommendations for the 12 best okra recipes:

 
But where’s the gumbo?

We looked into THE NIBBLE archives and found:

 
 
HOW TO ELIMINATE OKRA “SLIME”

Some people avoid okra because of its “slimy” texture. That okra just hasn’t been cooked correctly. Here are slime-busting tips from Okra, a Savor the South cookbook by Virginia Willis.:

 
Up first for us: fried okra with ketchup!
 
 
THE HISTORY OF OKRA

Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) is a vegetable with edible seed pods in the hibiscus/mallow family† (Malvaceae).

The plant is of disputed origin. No truly wild form has been found, which botanists use to establish origin. Different scientists suggest Southeast Asian, South Asian, Ethiopian, and West African origins [source].

In the 12th and 13th centuries, Egyptians and Moors (Muslims of the Iberian Peninsula) used the Arabic word for the plant, bamya, suggesting it had come into Egypt from Arabia, but that earlier it was probably taken from Ethiopia to Arabia.

One of the earliest European accounts of the vegetable is from a Spanish Moor who visited Egypt in 1216 and described the plant under cultivation by the locals who ate the tender, young pods with their meals.

Regardless, it was from Arabia that the plant spread to the other shores of the Mediterranean Sea and eastward. It became a staple food in parts of Africa.

Okra was introduced to the Americas by ships plying the transatlantic slave trade. Some African women were able to braid okra seeds into their hair before being forced aboard slave ships [source].

The plant is documented in Brazil by 1658, and in Suriname in 1686.

Okra may have been introduced to southeastern North America from Africa in the early 18th century. By 1748, it was being grown as far north as Philadelphia.

Thomas Jefferson noted that cultivation was well established in Virginia by 1781, and it was commonplace throughout the South by 1800.

Because of its slimy interior, okra was first used by slave owners to thicken soups. Gumbo, the Créole name for okra, developed in Louisiana. The Creole name derived from the Bantu language spoken by Angolan slaves, ngombo.

Though its history in America is unfortunate, it has become a staple ingredient in the Southern U.S. If you’d like to make it at home, fried, grilled, or pickled okra are easy options.

[1] Fresh okra (photos #1 and #2 © Sid Wainer & Sons).

[2] A cross section of okra pods.

[3] Okra pods were originally green, but mutations have led to the development of red and burgundy varieties. Look for them in your farmers’ market (photo © Starling Yards).

[3] You can grill okra—and Brussels sprouts, too (pho6to © Sushi Roku Katana | Facebook).

[4] Fried okra (photo © Ulele Restaurant | Hotel Ulele | Tampa).

[5] Gumbo is one of the most popular recipes with okra (photo © Mackenzie Ltd).

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According to the USDA, Americans consumed 31.1 pounds of tomatoes per capita in 2013, 59% of them in canned form (much of which, presumably, went into tomato sauce).

Botanically speaking, the tomato is a fruit, but 122 years ago the U.S. Supreme Court ruled it, for tax reasons, a vegetable. (Ah, if the enlightened justices of today would just reverse that misguided decision. More about it is below.)

Thanks to Restaurant Hospitality for passing along this recipe from Chef Jack Gilmore of Jack Allen’s Kitchen in Austin, Texas.

Serve it as you would a quiche: in small wedges as a first course, as a main with a salad.

RECIPE: TOMATO BASIL PIE

Ingredients

This pie is filled with sweet summer tomatoes and three types of cheese.
Photo courtesy Jack Allen’s Kitchen |
Austin.

1. SEASON the tomato slices lightly with salt and pepper, and allow them to drain on a paper towel (the salt draws out the water).

2. PREHEAT the oven to 300°F. Combine the cheeses in small bowl.

3. LAYER the tomatoes in the pie shell. Place basil pieces on top of them. Sprinkle the cheese mixture on top of the basil.

4. WHISK together the eggs and mayonnaise in small bowl, and pour evenly over the pie ingredients. Bake for approximately 45 minutes, until golden brown and bubbly.
 

WHY A TOMATO IS CALLED A VEGETABLE INSTEAD OF A FRUIT

Who would think, when looking at the seriousness of the Supreme Court’s docket today, that in 1893 they would take up the argument of whether the tomato should be classified as a vegetable rather than a fruit. The eight or nine cases the Court can adjudicate each year cover Constitutional rights and federal law.

United States Supreme Court decisions have shaped history. So how does the classification of the tomato fit in? It made it onto the docket because of a federal law regarding import taxes.
 
It Was All About The Import Tax

The Tariff Act of 1883 stipulated that a 10% import tax be paid on imported vegetables, but no tax was levied on imported fruit*. John Nix, an importer of tomatoes, filed the action against Edward L. Hedden, Collector of the Customs House for the Port of New York. Nix wanted to recover back taxes he had paid on tomatoes. His case asserted that he was importing a fruit, but being taxed as if it were a vegetable.

How To Tell If It’s A Fruit

Botanically speaking the tomato is a fruit. A fruit is the ripened ovary, formed together with seeds, from from the flowers of a plant. This how the tomato is formed.

In easier terms, here’s how to think of a fruit:

 
The issue is not how any particular culture chooses to consume a particular item of produce (sweet or savory, raw or cooked, etc.), but the botanical structure of the item. Thus, avocado is a fruit (it’s a tree fruit, like apples and pears) as are cucumbers (relatives to melons).

With science on his side, vendor Nix sued customs collector Hedden, and the case made its way through the court system—all the way to the Supreme Court.
 
But The Court Disagreed With Science

In a unanimous opinion, the Court held that the Tariff Act of 1883 used the ordinary meaning of the words “fruit” and “vegetable,” as people thought of them, instead of the scientific, botanical use. The opinion delivered by Justice Gray stated:

“Botanically speaking, tomatoes are the fruit of a vine, just as are cucumbers, squashes, beans, and peas. But in the common language of the people, whether sellers or consumers of provisions, all these are vegetables which are grown in kitchen gardens, and which, whether eaten cooked or raw, are, like potatoes, carrots, parsnips, turnips, beets, cauliflower, cabbage, celery, and lettuce, usually served at dinner in, with, or after the soup, fish, or meats which constitute the principal part of the repast, and not, like fruits generally, as dessert.” (Source: caselaw.lp.findlaw.com)

Wrong perspective, Justice Gray. The laws of nature should stand as is, not subjected to interpretation to fit cultural norms. Today, you can find tomato desserts (ice cream and sorbet, for starters). There are other crossovers. For example, rhubarb, a vegetable, is often prepared for dessert.

And you should have had better clerks do your research: Beans and pea are legumes, not vegetables.

Politically, the decision also meant more tax revenue for the United States. We guess we’re not going to get the Supreme Court to reverse the decision.

Slow-roast them and all of that rich, summer tomato sweetness will get concentrated into each bite.

Buy two or three times as many as you need this week—ideally, an assortment of red, orange and yellow. Set aside what you’ll use fresh. Then:

 
But before those two weeks are up, you can easily use them up:

 
RECIPE: SUNDRIED TOMATO CROSTINI

One of our favorite snacks, crostini with sundried cherry tomatoes, can be made in a minute (or as fast as it takes to toast the bread.

There’s the tried and true banana split, of course. Classically served in a long dish, called a boat (which gives the sundae its alternative name, banana boat), the recipe is familiar to most ice cream lovers:

A banana is cut in half lengthwise and set in the dish with scoops of vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry ice cream.

The strawberry ice cream is garnished with pineapple topping, chocolate syrup is poured on the vanilla ice cream and strawberry topping covers the chocolate ice cream.

Finally, crushed nuts, whipped cream, and maraschino cherries garnish the sundae.

Today, there are many variations to the classic banana split. We’ve had Deconstructed Banana Splits (photo #3), Banana Split Cheesecake and the recipe below, Banana Split Sushi from RA Sushi.

> The history of the banana split is below.

> The history of ice cream.

> The history of the ice cream sundae.

> The history of the banana.

> The history of the sushi.

> The different types of sushi: a photo glossary.

> The 10 banana holidays.

 
 
RECIPE: BANANA SPLIT SUSHI

Ingredients For 2 Servings

 
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*You can easily make strawberry purée by processing the berries with a bit of sweetener to taste, and a splash of lemon or lime juice.

[1] Banana Split Sushi at RA Sushi in Orlando (photo © RA Sushi).

[2] Make sure the bananas are ripe but firm (photo © Dole).

[3] Here’s the recipe for this deconstructed banana split with grilled bananas (photo © Sushi Samba).

1. CUT the bananas into 1-1/2 inch slices. While a restaurant can deep-fry the bananas in tempura batter, you can use a simpler approach: Combine the bananas, fat, honey and cinnamon in a nonstick pan over medium heat and fry until golden brown (4-5 minutes on each side).

2. ARRANGE each cooked banana piece on a plate as desired and top with a kiwi slice, which is the base for the remaining toppings. Add the clementine segment, whipped cream, and strawberry halves.

3. DRIZZLE with chocolate sauce and strawberry purée. Serve with chopsticks.
 

[5] “Doc” Strickland later purchased the pharmacy where he invented the banana split. This photo, circa 1962, is via Baltzer Meyer Historical Society, as are photos #6 and #7 below.

BANANA SPLIT HISTORY

The soda fountains of yore were the equivalent of today’s Starbuck’s, where people met for refreshments and socializing. Soda jerks were the mixologists of their day*, inventing treats to excite customers. Malted milks, banana splits and phosphates emerged at the soda fountains of neighborhood drugstore in the 1890s.

In those days, “jerk” was not a derogatory term; it referred to the quick, sharp pull as the attendant drew the carbonated water tap forward.

David Evans Strickler, a 23-year-old apprentice pharmacist at Tassel Pharmacy in Latrobe, Pennsylvania*, enjoyed taking on the soda jerk role and inventing sundaes at the store’s soda fountain. He invented the banana-based triple scoop ice cream sundae in 1904.

The sundae originally cost 10 cents, twice the price of other sundaes, and caught on with students of nearby Saint Vincent College. In those pre-digital days, news of the nifty new sundae quickly spread by word-of-mouth, written correspondence, and newspaper coverage.

Strickler later designed the elongated “boat” glass banana split dish.

He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh and became both a pharmacist and an optometrist, and became known as “Doc” Strickler. He later purchased the Latrobe Pharmacy where he’d invented the banana split; he located his optometry practice upstairs.

It must have done well for Strickler: He went on to buy the pharmacy, renaming it Strickler’s Pharmacy.

The city of Latrobe celebrated the 100th anniversary of the invention of the banana split in 2004. In the same year, the National Ice Cream Retailers Association certified Latrobe as the birthplace of the banana split. It hosts an annual Great American Banana Split Festival in August (it starts today).

We don’t know if he consumed many banana splits, but he lived a long live, passing in 1971 at the age of 90.

The city has the original soda fountain where the banana split was created.

Here’s the history of the ice cream sundae, and the long history of ice cream in general.

[6] The inside of the pharmacy, circa 1950.

[7] The commemorative plaque in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.
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*According to Wikipedia, Walgreens is credited with spreading the popularity of the banana split. A chain of drug stores established in the Chicago area in 1901 by Charles Rudolph Walgreen, Walgreens promoted the banana split as a signature dessert. But was it served when the store opened or did someone at Walgreens read the recipe and adopt it? Did Walgreens bestow the name Banana Split to the “banana-based triple ice cream sundae”? The record is mute.
 
 

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We love good bread and can [alas] eat loaves of it. But burger buns—even when heavily seeded or made of brioche—rarely fall into that group. And they get soggy.

So when Five Napkin Burger presented a menu of burger salads in addition to conventional burgers, we tried a salad and were hooked. We were never a neat burger eater, so enjoyed the bonuses: no meat juices or ketchup dripping onto us when we raised the burger to our mouth.

While it could be a calorie- and carb-cutting alternative for some, let us hasten to say that we enjoy our burger salad along with the establishment’s excellent onion rings, sweet potato fries, and a beer.

Today’s tip is not just a burger salad, but for those who still want their bun, a salad burger (below).

Our favorite way to enjoy a burger this burger salad from Five Napkin Burger. Photo courtesy Five Napkin Burger | NYC.

To start, think of your favorite salad and assemble the ingredients. Is it spinach salad? Cobb salad? Chopped salad? Salade Niçoise? Spicy greens (arugula, radish, watercress)? Tortilla salad?

Create your burger salad from those ingredients; and if the original salad contained chicken, turkey or other meat, consider adding small amounts of them—a mixed grill burger salad, as it were.

You can make a bacon cheeseburger salad or a diet burger burger salad. You can add seeds for more nutrition. And there are ways to cut calories. But here’s a list of options for starters:

 
BASIC SALAD INGREDIENTS

 
SALAD ADD-ONS

 
SALAD DRESSING

A burger salad begs for a delicious vinaigrette. Here’s our template for making a vinaigrette recipe you’ll love.

 
However, before you avoid salad oil, ask any nutritionist, the FDA or the American Heart Association: Two tablespoons daily of a heart-healthy oil are important for general health and specific conditions*. The recommended oils are monounsaturated, and include avocado oil, canola oil, olive oil and peanut oil.

It’s time to stop looking old-school at “calories” and “fat”—an old school way of looking at diet—and focus your choices on health and nutrition.
 

Plan B: Top your burger with a salad.
Photo courtesy Umami Burger | Hudson
Eats.

THE SALAD BURGER

Instead of topping salad with a burger, you can top a burger with salad.

Far more than a bunless burger or “diet burger”—the type served by our local diner and others, which plates a burger patty with lettuce, tomato, onion and a scoop of cottage cheese—a salad burger tops your burger with a flavorful salad.

As you can see in the photo, it can be simple mixed greens, very lightly dressed. Since the burger is America’s favorite food, if you’ve been meaning to add more salad to your diet, here’s your chance.
 
*A BIG FOOTNOTE ON HEALTHY FATS

Monounsaturated fats deliver many health benefits, including: