In Gumbo Tales Sara Roahen celebrates New Orleans' food culture, one speciality at a time. A cocktail is more than a segue to dinner when it's a Sazerac, an anise-laced drink of rye whiskey and bitters indigenous to New Orleans. For Wisconsin-born Roahen, a Sazerac is also a fine accompaniment to raw oysters, a looking glass into the cocktail culture of her own family—and one more way to gain a foothold in her beloved adopted city.
       Roahen's stories introduce readers to New Orleans' well-known signatures—gumbo, po-boys, red beans and rice—and its lesser-known gems: the pho of its Vietnamese immigrants, the braciolone of its Sicilians and the ya-ka-mein of its street culture. By eating and cooking her way through a place as unique and unexpected as its infamous turducken, Roahen finds a home. And then Katrina. With humour, poignancy and hope, she conjures up a city that revelled in its food traditions before the storm—and in many ways has been saved by them since.

"This is an example of the best sort of culinary writing: one that explores the emotional sense of terroir linking place and plate."
The Bookseller

“[A] deeply informed and plainly heartfelt investigation into New Orleans’ finest food traditions...”
Elle

“...a lovingly put together account of one woman’s culinary tour of a city she comes to adore...”
The Sunday Express

“...an affectionate tribute to New Orleans cuisine.”
The Daily Telegraph

"Roahen's mouth-watering paean..."
The Independent

June 2009 • Paper • £10.99 • ISBN 978 0 393 33537 8 • 304pp • 140 x 210mm