Both gumbo and jambalaya are classic Louisiana dishes with Creole and Cajun roots. They're both filled with plenty of protein and have green bell peppers, celery, and onion as their base. While rice is an important part of each dish, the use of this grain is one of the main differences between the two. Roux and consistency are the other points of disparity.
Most Louisiana locals grew up with one or both of the dishes and have strong loyalties to their home-cooked version, which varies family by family, although some key ingredients and techniques remain the same. "There are countless variants that you'll find all over Louisiana. It's hard to find two Cajuns outside of a family that cook exactly alike," says Chef Anthony Goldsmith, the owner of Kajun Twist restaurant, with two locations in Louisiana's Cajun Bayou (in Galliano and Lockport). We spoke with Goldsmith to find out what the differences are between gumbo and jambalaya.
Gumbo is a stew filled with chicken, sausage, and salt meat (if it's a chicken gumbo) or crab, shrimp, and oysters (if it's a seafood gumbo). Gumbo uses some kind of thickener, usually roux (flour and fat cooked together until dark brown), but some people, like Goldsmith, use okra. His recipe comes from his great-grandmother Alzina Toups, a renowned Cajun chef in Galliano whose tiny one-room restaurant is only bookable by phone and has a wait list up to a year long. "The base is what the Cajuns call the 'Holy Trinity' (onion, celery, and bell pepper)," says Goldsmith. "Use chicken stock or seafood stock depending on the type of gumbo. Filé powder (dried and powdered sassafras leaves used in Native American cuisine) can be added at the end based on preference."
Gumbo is served over rice, but the rice is not cooked with the rest of the dish. "Gumbo is more like a soup, but for the Cajun people it's not considered a soup; it's a gumbo," says Goldsmith. "For my family, it is more of a starter dish to the main meal. Everyone has their own way to cook and enjoy it."
Gumbo reflects influences from French, Spanish, Native American, African, and Creole traditions. Louisiana Cajuns also adapted gumbo to their tastes.
What Is Jambalaya?
Jambalaya is a one-pot rice dish with origins tied to Spanish paella and West African jollof, which probably came from Spanish colonists and West African slaves. It also uses the Holy Trinity base, which comes from Louisiana's French influence, but Goldsmith says you can also add garlic, green onion, and parsley and season it with cayenne or red pepper flakes. There are two common variants of jambalaya: red and brown. The red, which is Creole, uses tomato paste and tomato sauce while the brown uses beef broth and no tomatoes and is considered Cajun. "The meats used can vary, but we use mostly smoked sausage or Boston butt (pork butt) and chicken, but you can really use any meat for it, though, like crab, shrimp, and duck," says Goldsmith. Some jambalayas use smoked tasso ham instead of sausage.
Most importantly, the rice is cooked in the jambalaya. After the base is browned, the broth is added. "To cook the rice in the jambalaya, use two cups of broth to one cup of rice for perfect consistency," says Goldsmith. "Be sure to cover the pot after adding rice and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring once halfway through."
What Are the Differences Between Gumbo and Jambalaya?
The main difference between these two dishes is their use of rice. Gumbo is really a soup or stew that's often served over a little rice, while jambalaya is made with the rice cooked into the dish, making the grain an integral part of it. In gumbo, there should be more liquid than rice, while jambalaya should not be liquid-y or mushy. "Jambalaya is a way to cook rice. It is usually a staple at get-togethers and is an easy way to feed large groups of people," says Goldsmith. "A gumbo is served over rice, often as a starter."
The other main difference is the use of a roux. While some people, like Goldsmith, don't use a roux for their gumbo, many gumbos do have a roux or other thickener, but jambalaya does not. "Each of these dishes were born from necessity. Long before our time, our Cajun ancestors lived off of the land. They could only cook with what they trapped, killed, or harvested from the area," says Goldsmith. "Both of these meals are hearty and very filling. They provided much-needed energy to the hard-working Cajun people."
The main difference between these two dishes is their use of rice. Gumbo is really a soup or stew that's often served over a little rice, while jambalaya is made with the rice cooked into the dish, making the grain an integral part of it.
Gumbo is somewhere between a stew or soup . . . and it's almost universally served over a bit of cooked rice. Jambalaya is different; more like a paella. A composed rice dish where everything is cooked together. The broth is used to cook the rice.”
Unlike gumbo, jambalaya is not a brothy dish or stew, and it does not use a thickener. There are two main jambalayas: Creole jambalaya (red jambalaya) which gets its color from tomato; and cajun jambalaya (brown jambalaya) which gets its color from beef broth.
Gumbo consists primarily of a strongly flavored stock, meat or shellfish (or sometimes both), a thickener, and the Creole "holy trinity" – celery, bell peppers, and onions. Gumbo is often categorized by the type of thickener used, whether okra or filé powder (dried and ground sassafras leaves).
Jambalaya is a rice dish originating in the early 18th century in Southern Louisiana. "The dish has been a part of New Orleans cuisine since Colonial Spanish settlers tried reconstructing their native paella from locally-sourced ingredients," according to NewOrleans.com.
1> Ingredients: While both dishes share some common ingredients like rice and meat, they also have unique components. Jambalaya typically includes rice, sausage, chicken, and sometimes seafood, while Gumbo often contains a variety of meats or seafood, along with vegetables like okra, and is served with rice.
Both etouffee and gumbo are broth-based, using shrimp stock, seafood stock, crawfish tail stock, or chicken stock. But etouffee has a thicker, gravy-like consistency whereas gumbo is a thinner stew.
Creole cooks in Louisiana usually prepare some variation of three basic recipes: a ''Creole gumbo'' that includes sausages, beef, veal, ham, chicken, whole crabs or shrimp and is thickened with roux and file powder; a simpler ''okra gumbo'' thickened with okra and including a variety of shellfish; and a ''gumbo aux ...
One of the biggest complaints when making jambalaya is that the rice ends up mushy. And there's two main culprits of this – choosing the wrong type of rice and over-stirring. For this recipe, you want long-grain white rice, like basmati or jasmine. Don't use short-grain rice.
A cajun jambalaya, I'm reliably informed, should be somewhat dry, even slightly browned on the bottom, which rules out the soupier, wetter texture of those creole versions using tomatoes (Oliver advises cooks to aim for a “porridgey” consistency).
Great gumbo starts with roux, a flavorful thickening agent made from equal parts fat and flour. Once the roux is a deep golden color, add diced veggies and sausage to the mix. Then, incorporate beef bouillon, hot sauce, tomatoes, and seasonings to intensify the flavor.
Turns out, your preference for tomatoes in gumbo comes down to whether you learned your skills from a Cajun cook or a Creole cook. (Learn about the difference here.) Cajun gumbo does not include tomatoes in the base, but Creole gumbo (typically shellfish or seafood gumbo) does call for tomatoes.
A subtler difference between jambalaya and gumbo is that most gumbos are made from a roux, and jambalaya is not. Another jambalaya vs gumbo difference is whether you add hot sauce.
Are They Healthy? Real gumbo can be high in fat because the roux is made with equal parts fat and flour as well as sausage, which can also be high in fat. Jambalaya can be healthier than gumbo, especially if it's seafood and chicken or you use a lower-fat smoked sausage in the recipe.
Jambalaya and paella are both one pot rice dishes loaded with medleys of meat, seafood, and vegetables. To me, the main differences are in the spices that are used. Spices differentiate jambalaya and paella. Saffron is the main spice flavoring paella, but it is not in jambalaya.
What does gumbo taste like? Gumbo offers the rich flavors of a roux base, the sweet and slippery texture of okra, and/or the root beer essences of sassafras leaves. The chefs' chosen meats add additional flavor, with spicy andouille sausage being a popular and dominating addition.
An authentic jambalaya recipe is savory, spicy, meaty, and oh so flavorful! And it's very easy to make as well! Let me share with you my favorite healthy jambalaya with lots of meat, crushed tomatoes, and jambalaya seasoning.
Introduction: My name is Terence Hammes MD, I am a inexpensive, energetic, jolly, faithful, cheerful, proud, rich person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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