Cajun cooking staple - NYT Crossword Clue

Introduction

Today's clue, "Cajun cooking staple," transports us to the flavorful world of Louisiana cuisine. This is a direct, knowledge-based clue that asks solvers to identify a key ingredient in one of America's most celebrated regional food traditions.

Clue Analysis

The clue is straightforward:

• "Cajun cooking": This specifies the culinary domain. We're looking for something integral to the food developed by the Acadian people who settled in Louisiana. Think rich, rustic, and often spicy dishes.
• "staple": This word tells us the answer isn't an obscure spice but a fundamental, commonly used component.

The solver's task is to connect these two parts and name a food item that fits the description. The answer will be a noun, specifically a type of vegetable or grain.

Thinking Approaches

When you see a clue like this, a great first step is to brainstorm. What comes to mind when you think of Cajun food?

1. The "Holy Trinity": Many solvers will immediately think of the aromatic base of many Cajun dishes: onions, bell peppers, and celery. While these are staples, they might not fit the letter count of the answer slot.
2. Famous Dishes: What are the most iconic Cajun dishes? Gumbo and jambalaya are at the top of the list. What are their key ingredients? Rice is central to jambalaya, but gumbo is famous for its thick, stew-like consistency. What creates that texture?
3. Thickening Agents: Gumbo can be thickened in three main ways: with a roux (flour and fat), with filé powder (ground sassafras leaves), or with a specific mucilaginous vegetable. That vegetable is a prime candidate for our answer.
4. Using Crossings: If you have a few letters, say _ K R _, you can quickly test common four-letter vegetables or ingredients. The letters will likely confirm the answer once you've narrowed it down to a few culinary possibilities.

Background Context

The answer to this clue is a vegetable with deep roots in African cuisine, brought to the Americas during the transatlantic slave trade. Its name in several West African languages is "ki ngombo," which is widely believed to be the origin of the word "gumbo."

This vegetable, often called "lady's fingers" due to its shape, contains a substance called mucilage, which gives it a characteristic "slimy" texture when cooked. While some find this off-putting, it's precisely this quality that makes it an excellent natural thickener for stews and soups, most notably gumbo. It's used not just in Cajun and Creole cooking but also in Southern, Caribbean, and South Asian cuisines.

Conclusion

"Cajun cooking staple" is a classic crossword clue that tests general knowledge about food and culture. By thinking through the signature dishes and ingredients of the region, solvers can quickly land on the correct, four-letter vegetable that is synonymous with Louisiana's most famous stew.

Hints

1. Hint 1: This is a green, pod-like vegetable.
2. Hint 2: It's known for its unique, somewhat slimy texture which helps thicken stews.
3. Hint 3: It is a primary ingredient in many versions of gumbo.
4. Hint 4: This vegetable is also known by the name "lady's fingers."

The answer is... OKRA