A Brief Overview of Jambalaya, and My Love Affair With New Orleans

I chose to research and write about Jambalaya due to a strong love affair I have with the city of New Orleans, and the fact that jambalaya is strongly associated with that city. About a year after Hurricane Katrina struck the city, I embarked on a mission trip with my church youth group to help the people of a neighborhood in the lower ninth ward attempt to rebuild a park that had been destroyed in the storm. We spent a week working, laughing, praying, worshipping, and most importantly EATING side by side with the very strong and very special families of this neighborhood. Over the course of the week we also found time to do some sight seeing and took every chance we could to engulf ourselves in the culture and liveliness of the city of New Orleans. By the end of the week, my entire outlook on life had changed drastically and I left the city feeling no longer like a young girl, but more like a young woman. 

While in New Orleans, I tried jambalaya for the first time. After researching the food, I have discovered that the jambalaya we tried is known as “city creole” or “red” jambalaya. This is the most commonly used recipe in and around the city. However, my research showed that there are in fact three different recipes that can be used to make jambalaya. As I stated previously, the most common recipe is known as “red jambalaya”. This recipe involves a mixture of meat (usually chicken and sausage), the trinity of vegetables (50% onions, 25% celery, and 25% green or red peppers), tomatoes, seafood, and rice. The second most common recipe is known as “rural creole jambalaya”; the only difference being the lack of tomatoes and the length of time and temperature it is cooked at. The third recipe is the least common and is known as “cajun” or “white” jambalaya; in this recipe the meat and veggies are cooked separately from the rice the entire time and only combined when serving. Jambalaya is meant to be a spicy dish, but the variation of spices depends on the cook, therefore it is in one’s best interest to ask the cook how spicy they make their jambalaya before taking your first bite. On average, there are 393-397 calories in one cup of jambalaya that contains meat and rice. 

Jambalaya is commonly known as a traditional ethnic Louisiana dish along with gumbo, ètouffée, and creoles. However jambalaya differs from these dishes based on the inclusion of rice as well as the ease of preparation. Various restaurants have created their own versions of jambalaya, and it can be found throughout the country. New Orleans natives, however, still believe the best place to get jambalaya is from their own kitchens. Orleaners (as they are affectionately called) even compete once a year at the annual Jambalaya Festival in Gonzales Louisiana to determine who makes the best jambalaya in the state. I am anxious and excited to make my very own jambalaya for the first time. Maybe I’ll even enter my own recipe at the festival the next time I head to the Big Easy for a visit. 

Sources:
"Jambalaya." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 25 July 2014. Web. 25 July 2014.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jambalaya

Popik, Barry. "The Big Apple: Jambalaya." The Big Apple: Jambalaya. N.p., 12 Mar. 2007. Web. 25 July 2014.
http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/jambalaya/

Sigal, Andrew. "Jambalaya By Any Other Name." Petits Propos Culinaires 84 (2007/2008): 101-19. Print.