Jambalaya on plate.jpg
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Jambalaya ( , ) is an American Creole and Cajun rice dish of
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
(especially Provençal cuisine),
African African or Africans may refer to: * Anything from or pertaining to the continent of Africa: ** People who are native to Africa, descendants of natives of Africa, or individuals who trace their ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa *** Ethn ...
, and Spanish influence, consisting mainly of meat and vegetables mixed with rice.


Ingredients

Traditionally, the meat includes sausage of some sort, often a smoked meat such as
andouille Andouille ( , ; ; from Latin'induco') is a smoked sausage made using pork, originating in France. France In France, particularly Brittany and Normandy, the traditional ingredients of andouille are primarily pig chitterlings, tripe, onions, w ...
, along with pork or chicken and seafood (less common), such as crawfish or shrimp. The vegetables are usually a
sofrito (Spanish, ), (Catalan), (Italian, ), or (Portuguese, ) is a basic preparation in Mediterranean, Latin American, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese cooking. It typically consists of aromatic ingredients cut into small pieces and sautéed or ...
-like mixture known as the " trinity" in Cajun cooking, consisting of onion, celery, and green bell pepper, though other vegetables such as okra, carrots, tomatoes, corn, chilis and garlic are also used. After browning and sauteeing the meat and vegetables, rice is added with seasonings and broth, and the entire dish is cooked together until the rice is done.


Similar dishes

Jambalaya is similar to (but distinct from) other rice-and-meat dishes known in Louisiana cuisine such as gumbo and étouffée. Gumbo uses similar sausages, meats, seafood, vegetables and seasonings. However, gumbo includes filé powder or okra, which are not common in jambalaya. Gumbo is also usually served over white rice, which is prepared separately from the rest of the dish, unlike jambalaya, where the rice is prepared with the other ingredients.
Étouffée Étouffée or etouffee (, ) is a dish found in both Cajun and Creole cuisine typically served with shellfish over rice. The dish employs a technique known as smothering, a popular method of cooking in the Cajun and Creole areas of southwest Lo ...
is a stew which always includes shellfish such as shrimp or crawfish, but does not have the sausage common to jambalaya and gumbo. Also, like gumbo, étouffée is usually served over separately prepared rice.


Origins

Jambalaya is a Louisiana-born dish that has its origins in historical influences from France and Spain. Jambalaya takes its name from the Provence region of southern France originally spelled as and may descend from Provençal French styles of
pilaf Pilaf ( US spelling) or pilau ( UK spelling) is a rice dish, or in some regions, a wheat dish, whose recipe usually involves cooking in stock or broth, adding spices, and other ingredients such as vegetables or meat, and employing some techniq ...
and the Spanish dish '' paella''. There is documented historical evidence connecting jambalaya to French and Spanish origins. However, due to the
trans-Atlantic slave trade The Atlantic slave trade, transatlantic slave trade, or Euro-American slave trade involved the transportation by slave traders of enslaved African people, mainly to the Americas. The slave trade regularly used the triangular trade route and i ...
, there are many sources that link the origin back to West Africa, where the dish has undeniable similarities to Jollof rice.


Varieties

There are two primary methods of making jambalaya, differentiated by the presence or absence of tomatoes. The first is Creole jambalaya (also called "red jambalaya"). First, meat is added to the trinity of celery, peppers, and onions; the meat is usually chicken and sausage such as
andouille Andouille ( , ; ; from Latin'induco') is a smoked sausage made using pork, originating in France. France In France, particularly Brittany and Normandy, the traditional ingredients of andouille are primarily pig chitterlings, tripe, onions, w ...
or smoked sausage. Next vegetables and tomatoes are added to cook, followed by
seafood Seafood is any form of sea life regarded as food by humans, prominently including fish and shellfish. Shellfish include various species of molluscs (e.g. bivalve molluscs such as clams, oysters and mussels, and cephalopods such as octopus an ...
. Rice and
stock In finance, stock (also capital stock) consists of all the shares by which ownership of a corporation or company is divided.Longman Business English Dictionary: "stock - ''especially AmE'' one of the shares into which ownership of a company ...
are added in equal proportions at the very end. The mixture is brought to a boil and left to simmer for 20 to 60 minutes, depending on the recipe, with infrequent stirring. Towards the end of the cooking process, stirring usually ceases. Some versions call for the jambalaya to be baked after the cooking of all the ingredients. The second style, more characteristic of southwestern and south-central Louisiana, is Cajun jambalaya, which contains no tomatoes (the idea being the farther away from New Orleans one gets, the less common tomatoes are in dishes). The meat is browned in a cast-iron pot. The bits of meat that stick to the bottom of the pot ( sucs) are what give a Cajun jambalaya its brown color. A little vegetable oil is added if there is not enough fat in the pot. The trinity (of 50%
onions An onion (''Allium cepa'' L., from Latin ''cepa'' meaning "onion"), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus ''Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onion ...
, 25% celery, and 25% green or red
bell pepper The bell pepper (also known as paprika, sweet pepper, pepper, or capsicum ) is the fruit of plants in the Grossum Group of the species ''Capsicum annuum''. Cultivars of the plant produce fruits in different colors, including red, yellow, orange ...
, although proportions can be altered to suit one's taste) is added and sautéed until soft. Stock and seasonings are added in the next step, and then the meats are returned to the pot. This mixture is then simmered, covered, for at least one hour. Lastly, the mixture is brought to a boil and rice is added to the pot. It is then covered and left to simmer over very low heat for at least 1/2 hour without stirring. The dish is finished when the rice has cooked. In a less common method, meat and vegetables are cooked separately from the rice. At the same time, rice is cooked in a savory stock. It is added to the meat and vegetables before serving. This is called "white jambalaya". This dish is rare in Louisiana as it is seen as a "quick" attempt to make jambalaya, popularized outside the state to shorten cooking time. Many people in the south, and typically in Louisiana, enjoy a simpler jambalaya style. This style is cooked the same as the Cajun style, but there are no vegetables. Many restaurants serve this style as opposed to the others, because it is more child-friendly, has a more consistent texture, and is easier to make. Jambalaya is considered by most Louisianans to be a filling but simple-to-prepare rice dish; gumbos, étouffées, and creoles are considered more difficult to perfect. Most often a long grain white rice is used in making jambalaya. Jambalaya is differentiated from gumbo and étouffée by the way in which the rice is included. In these dishes, the rice is cooked separately and is served as a bed on which the main dish is served. In the usual method of preparing jambalaya, a rich stock is created from vegetables, meat, and seafood; raw rice is then added to the broth and the flavor is absorbed by the grains as the rice cooks.


History

The history of jambalaya is shrouded in mystery. There is no evidence of any particular old world dish associated with jambalaya, but there is historical documentation that proves jambalaya has its origins in the influences from the Provence region of southern France and Spain. Jambalaya was traditionally made from whatever ingredients were handy, such as seafood, fresh meats and smoked meats. Tomatoes may be present or absent in its preparation. There is some folklore that states jambalaya originates from the French Quarter of New Orleans, in the original sector. This may or may not be true. It was probably an attempt by the Spanish to make paella in the New World, where saffron was not readily available due to import costs and the French in Louisiana named it. Tomatoes would have become the substitute for saffron. French influence was strong in New Orleans, and native spices from Louisiana, the gulf coast and the
Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
may have changed this pilaf or paella into a unique New World dish.


New Orleans style jambalaya vs Acadiana style jambalaya

In modern Louisiana, the dish has evolved along a variety of different lines. New Orleans style jambalaya, known in Acadiana as “red jambalaya”, is found primarily in and around New Orleans, where it is simply known as "jambalaya". New Orleans style jambalaya includes tomatoes, whereas Acadiana style jambalaya usually does not. Acadiana style jambalaya originates from Louisiana's rural, low-lying
swamp A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...
country where
crawfish Crayfish are freshwater crustaceans belonging to the clade Astacidea, which also contains lobsters. In some locations, they are also known as crawfish, craydids, crawdaddies, crawdads, freshwater lobsters, mountain lobsters, rock lobsters, mu ...
,
shrimp Shrimp are crustaceans (a form of shellfish) with elongated bodies and a primarily swimming mode of locomotion – most commonly Caridea and Dendrobranchiata of the decapod order, although some crustaceans outside of this order are refer ...
, oysters, alligator, duck, turtle, boar, venison, nutria and other
game A game is a structured form of play (activity), play, usually undertaken for enjoyment, entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator s ...
were readily available. Any variety or combination of meats, including chicken or turkey, may be used to make jambalaya. Acadiana style jambalaya is known as "brown jambalaya" in the Greater New Orleans area (except for the lower Westbank where it can be found among some families); to folks from Acadiana it is simply known as "jambalaya".


Jambalaya in print

The first appearance in print of any variant of the word 'jambalaya' in any language occurred in ''Leis amours de Vanus; vo, Lou paysan oou théâtré'', by Fortuné (Fortunat) Chailan, first published in
Provençal dialect Provençal (, , ; french: provençal , ; oc, provençau or ) is a Romance language, either considered as a variety of Occitan or a separate language, spoken by people in Provence and parts of Drôme. Historically, the term Provençal has been ...
in 1837. The earliest appearance of the word in print in English occurs in the May 1849 issue of the ''American Agriculturalist'', page 161, where
Solon Robinson Solon Robinson (October 21, 1803 – November 3, 1880) was a writer, journalist, agriculturist, and pioneer. He wrote for the ''New York Tribune'' and '' American Agriculturist'' and published several books including ''Hot Corn'', a bestselle ...
refers to a recipe for "Hopping Johnny (jambalaya)", however he made a mistake in identifying jambalaya as "Hopping Johnny", which is an entirely different dish with different origins and different birth state. Jambalaya did not appear in a cookbook until 1878, when the ''
Gulf City Cook Book A gulf is a large inlet from the ocean into the landmass, typically with a narrower opening than a bay, but that is not observable in all geographic areas so named. The term gulf was traditionally used for large highly-indented navigable bodies ...
'', by the ladies of the St. Francis Street Methodist Episcopal Church, was printed in South
Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 cens ...
. It contains a recipe for "JAM BOLAYA". Jambalaya had a brief jump in popularity during the 1920s and 1930s because of its flexible recipe. The dish was little more than the rice and vegetables the populace could afford; the recipe grew from humble roots.


Jambalaya capital of the world

In 1968, Louisiana Governor
John J. McKeithen John Julian McKeithen (May 28, 1918 – June 4, 1999) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 49th governor of Louisiana from 1964 to 1972. Early life McKeithen was born in Grayson, Louisiana on May 28, 1918. His father was a ...
proclaimed Gonzales, Louisiana, "the Jambalaya capital of the world". Every spring, the annual
Jambalaya Festival Jambalaya ( , ) is an American Creole and Cajun rice dish of French (especially Provençal cuisine), African, and Spanish influence, consisting mainly of meat and vegetables mixed with rice. Ingredients Traditionally, the meat includes sau ...
is held in Gonzales.


Etymology

The '' Oxford English Dictionary'' indicates that comes from the
Provençal Provençal may refer to: *Of Provence, a region of France * Provençal dialect, a dialect of the Occitan language, spoken in the southeast of France *''Provençal'', meaning the whole Occitan language *Franco-Provençal language, a distinct Roman ...
word , meaning a mish mash, or mixup, and also meaning a
pilaf Pilaf ( US spelling) or pilau ( UK spelling) is a rice dish, or in some regions, a wheat dish, whose recipe usually involves cooking in stock or broth, adding spices, and other ingredients such as vegetables or meat, and employing some techniq ...
(pilau) of rice. This is supported by the fact that the first printed appearance of the word is in a Provençal poem published in 1837. A
folk etymology Folk etymology (also known as popular etymology, analogical reformation, reanalysis, morphological reanalysis or etymological reinterpretation) is a change in a word or phrase resulting from the replacement of an unfamiliar form by a more famili ...
of the word suggests that it is the fusion of two Spanish words: ("ham") + (a rice dish). However, the evidence for this idea is thin. Ham is not a featured element of the dish, and Spanish speakers would call a ham paella , not . Another history, per Louisiana chef John Folse, author of ''The Encyclopedia of Cajun & Creole Cuisine'' (2004), is that ''jambalaya'' is a contraction of ''jambon à la yaya'', meaning "ham with rice", from French ''jambon'' and Yoruba ''yaya''.


See also

*
List of regional dishes of the United States The cuisine of the United States includes many regional or local dishes, side dishes and foods. This list includes dishes and foods that are associated with specific regions of the United States. __TOC__ Regional dishes of the United States ...
*
List of rice dishes This is a list of rice dishes from all over the world, arranged alphabetically. Rice is the seed of the monocot plants ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or ''Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). As a cereal grain, it is the most widely consumed staple fo ...


References


External links


Jambalaya: history, origins and etymology
{{Cajun cuisine American stews American rice dishes Cajun cuisine Cuisine of New Orleans Louisiana cuisine Articles containing video clips Wild game dishes Sausage dishes Seafood and rice dishes