Gumbo is a stew built on a strongly flavored stock, a thickener and the Creole holy trinity of celery, bell peppers and onions, with meat or shellfish added. It is thickened either with okra or with filé powder, made from ground sassafras leaves, and the classic New Orleans version starts with a very dark roux. The dish combines West African okra stews, French roux cooking, Spanish influence and Native American Choctaw stew traditions. It was first described in 1802, and the New Orleans version became Louisiana's official state cuisine.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.