How the Communal Mardi Gras Gumbo Gets Made

Most of us have heard about masked revelers chasing chickens and gathering ingredients for a gumbo during Cajun country Mardi Gras, but what happens after the masks come off? Communal gumbos are a traditional end to long runs through the countryside leading up to Mardi Gras day. Revelers put on a show in hopes of gathering items like live chickens, onions and rice for the gumbo pot.

Historian and folklorist Barry Jean Ancelet writes in his book “From Behind the Mask: Essays on South Louisiana Mardi Gras Runs” that the prized offering is a live chicken, but other ingredients, including green onions and parsley pilfered from the garden, are needed. Store-bought chickens have replaced live ones over the years for a variety of reasons.

“Historically, they may have been made with chickens caught that day, but the problem is farmers were giving out old chickens and roosters and those take hours and hours to tenderize,” Ancelet explains. “When I first started running in Mamou, the gumbo was made with the chickens they caught in a big black iron kettle next to the building. The meat was pretty chewy … What has happened is people have started the gumbo earlier. Another strategy is to have the gumbo on a different day. The Grand Marais run is on Saturday and Sunday and the gumbo on Tuesday night, so they have time to actually use the chickens they caught.”

People who volunteer to cook the gumbo are often older members of the crew that don’t want to run anymore. They all have their secrets for making flavorful gumbo for a crowd, but Ancelet says it’s all about how you cook the birds. “Older poultry does make a better broth,” he says, but the gumbo needs more time to steep. The true taste of a Mardi Gras gumbo comes from a variety of poultry, since runners were often given chickens, roosters, duck and guinea. Ancelet’s favorite is a blend of hen and guinea.

He shares his mother’s recipe for Mardi Gras Gumbo, which feeds 100 people, right. It was developed in the early 1980s to feed the crowds who gather after the traditional Ossun Mardi Gras run on Tuesday.

Mardi Gras Gumbo
(for 100 people)
From Maude Ancelet

7 cups oil for roux
12 cups flour
55 lbs. chicken, cut up
15-18 lbs. fresh pork sausage, browned well and cut into bite-size pieces
2 quarts smothered okra
16-18 large onions, chopped
12 large bell peppers, chopped
1½ whole bunches of celery stalks, chopped
12 cloves garlic, chopped
10 chicken bouillon cubes
6 ounces of Johnson’s seasoning or equivalent such as Tony Chachere’s
Salt and pepper to taste
8½ gallons water
3 bunches green onion tops, chopped
2-3 bunches fresh parsley, chopped

The Acadian Arts

Music
Cajun Mardi Gras Festival in Eunice has five days of live music and street dances Feb. 28-March 4, 2025. eunicemardigras.com

Art
Krewe de Canailles’ walking parade in Downtown Lafayette with handmade costumes and throws Feb. 21, 2025. krewedecanailles.com

Literature
“From Behind the Mask: Essays on South Louisiana Mardi Gras Runs” by Barry Jean Ancelet available from UL Press. ulpress.org