Okra Stew

Learn about this recipe from our Historic Foodways staff, then try it at home.

Okra, which arrived in the Americas during the middle passage with enslaved people, is still a staple ingredient in Black and southern recipes today. In a soup or stew, or gumbo, okra is a mainstay of foods that come from the period of slavery. Aside from being incorporated into recipes, it is also a dish on its own, as it can be sliced, breaded and fried and served as an appetizer.

Try the recipe at home!

21st Century

Ingredients

• 7-9 pieces of Okra 
• 2 tomatoes 
• 1 medium white onion 
• 2 containers of chicken broth (64 ounces/8 cups) 
• Salt (to taste)
• Pepper (to taste)
• Rosemary (to taste)
• Thyme (to taste)
• Lard or butter (but you can use shortening or vegetable oil, too.) 
• 1 cup of four 

Instructions

1. Pour your broth into your pot and let it reduce about 10-15 minutes
2. Rub skillet with oil or lard and set aside
3. Cut your onion and dredge it in flour and place into skillet, mix together with salt and pepper
4. Fry onions until they are a little brown with some crunch to them, set aside into bowl
5. Cut okra and tomatoes, place into bowl, then add to broth; add more salt and pepper to taste
6. Add in the cooked onions
7. Add fresh, chopped rosemary and thyme to broth
8. Let stew thicken, stirring occasionally

Sources

1. Ferris, Marcie Cohen. 2014. The Edible South: The Power of Food and the Making of an American Region. UNC Press Books.
2. Harris, Jessica B. 2011. High on the Hog: A Culinary Journey From Africa to America. https://openlibrary.org/books/OL24538818M/High_on_the_hog.