Jambalaya Recipe Derived From Spanish Paella

Jambalaya is a Creole dish strongly influenced by the Spanish and French settlers of Louisiana. The Spanish paella, and the French dish jambalaia (from Provence) are both thought to have contributed to the rice-based dish which we now know as jambalaya. Jambalaya is traditionally made in three parts, with meat and vegetables completed by adding stock and rice.

Creole jambalaya got its origins in the French Quarter of New Orleans. It was an attempt by the Spanish to make paella in the New World. Since saffron was not readily available due to the cost of importing it from Europe, the locals substituted tomatoes for saffron. As the French began to expand their influence on the culture of New Orleans spices from the Caribbean changed the New World paella into its own unique dish.

Today the jambalaya dish has evolved into three distinct varieties:

•            Creole jambalaya (red bean jambalaya) is found primarily in and around New Orleans and includes tomatoes. In this version, chicken and Andouille sausage are added to celery, peppers and onions followed by vegetable and tomatoes. Some versions call for the jambalaya to be baked after cooking of all the ingredients.
•             Rural jambalaya (brown jambalaya) originated from Louisiana’s rural, low-lying swamp country where crawfish, shrimp, oysters, alligator, duck, turtle, boar, venison and other game were readily available. Rural jambalaya has more of a smoky and spicy flavor than its Creole jambalaya cousin.
•      Cajun jambalaya (white jambalaya) is the least common recipe. In this version meat and vegetables are cooked separately from rice. At the same time, rice is cooked in a savory stock and is added to the meat and vegetables before serving.

Jambalaya is considered by most Louisianans to be a filling but simple-to-prepare rice dish. Jambalaya is differentiated from gumbo by the way in which the rice is included. In gumbo, the rice is cooked separately and is served as a bed on which the main dish is served. In jambalaya a rich stock is created from vegetables, meat and seafood and the raw rice is added to the broth and the flavor is absorbed by the grains as the rice cooks.

Amateur chefs looking to add some Creole flavors to their lunch or dinner table can find a tasty jambalaya soup mix at O'Meagher Farms' All Natural Jambalaya Soup Mix.

Gumbo Taste Reflects Cultural Influences

Gumbo is a dish most often associated with Louisiana, specifically New Orleans. This traditional Creole dish primarily consists of a strongly flavored stock, okra, meat or shellfish, a thickener and seasoning herbs and fresh vegetables including bell pepper and onions.

Any combination of either meat or seafood can used to in Gumbo, but not both.  Meat-based gumbo may consist of chicken, duck, squirrel, rabbit or alligator. Seafood-based gumbo usually contains shrimp, crab or oysters. The traditional New Orleans version of gumbo is the only version which features both sausage and seafood. The most common version of gumbo features chicken and sausage.

Gumbo actually combines ingredients and culinary practices of several cultures reflecting the history of the assimilation of immigrants to southern Louisiana including, West African, French, Spanish, German and Choctaw (native American). Gumbo is thought to have been based on a traditional, native West African dish which may have also been influenced by the French bouillabaisse.

The word gumbo was likely named after its two main ingredients, okra and file. Okra is known as ngombo or quingombo in Bantu languages. In the language of the Choctaw people, file, or ground sassafras leaves was called kombo.

Home chefs looking to conjure up the taste of New Orleans as Mardi Gras approaches can get a head start using Red Bean Gumbo which can be found at O'Meagher Farms' All Natural Louisiana Red Bean Gumbo Soup Mix. 

Soups Integral Part of Culinary History

The word soup comes from French soupe ("soup", "broth"), which comes through Vulgar Latin suppa ("bread soaked in broth") from a Germanic source, from which also comes the word "sop", a piece of bread used to soak up soup or a thick stew.

Evidence of the first preparation of soups can be found as far back as about 20,000 BC.  Boiling did not become a common cooking technique until the invention of waterproof containers such as clay cooking vessels. Prior to this, animal hides and watertight baskets of bark or reeds were used to boil the water over hot rocks.

Oddly enough, the word restaurant (which means "restoring") was first used in France in the 16th century, to refer to a highly concentrated, inexpensive soup, sold by street vendors, that was advertised as an antidote to physical exhaustion. In 1765, a Parisian entrepreneur opened a shop specializing in such soups. This prompted the use of the modern word restaurant for the eating establishments.

Here in the U.S., the first colonial cookbook was published by William Parks in Williamsburg, Virginia, in 1742, based on Eliza Smith's The Compleat Housewife; or Accomplished Gentlewoman's Companion and it included several recipes for soups and bisques. A 1772 cookbook, The Frugal Housewife, contained an entire chapter on the topic. English cooking dominated early colonial cooking; but as new immigrants arrived from other countries, other national soups gained popularity. In particular, German immigrants living in Pennsylvania were famous for their potato soups. In 1794, Jean Baptiste Gilbert Payplat dis Julien, a refugee from the French Revolution, opened an eating establishment in Boston called The Restorator, and became known as "The Prince of Soups". The first American cooking pamphlet dedicated to soup recipes was written in 1882 by Emma Ewing: Soups and Soup Making.

Portable soup was devised in the 18th century by boiling seasoned meat until a thick, resinous syrup was left that could be dried and stored for months at a time.

All-Natural Foods for Improving Your Health: Good Time to Make Soup Part of your Winter Diet

All-Natural Foods for Improving Your Health: Good Time to Make Soup Part of your Winter Diet: Everyone no doubt has fond childhood memories of eating mom’s homemade soups after a day full of sledding or ice skating. Now that winter...

Good Time to Make Soup Part of Your Diet

Everyone no doubt has fond childhood memories of eating mom’s homemade soups after a day full of sledding or ice skating. Now that winter temperatures have set in, it would be a good time to consider the benefits of adding to soups to your weekly diet. In addition to their savory aroma, soups offer many noteworthy health and diet benefits.

Low in Calories

Vegetable-based soups or broth-style soups are a great option for calorie counters as they are rich in nutrients while low in energy density, which means that a bowl of soup offers lots of nutrients and minerals but relatively few calories.

Fills You Up

Studies have proven that diners who consume a low calorie vegetable-based soup prior to their entrée, consume up to 20% less calories at a lunch or dinner. Adding a cup or bowl of soup to your meal fills you up so you eat less.

More Nutritious

Nutrients found in vegetables include water soluble vitamins such as vitamin B, C, and K, as well as dietary fiber and a range of minerals. The nutrients found in the soup vegetables get absorbed into the soup stock ensuring that the nutrients get absorbed in your digestive system.

Easy to Prepare

Unlike many other meals, soups are relatively easy to prepare whether you’re starting from scratch, using a mix or opening a container of pre-made soup. Soups also keep well when secured properly in your refrigerator or freezer.

Home-made soups are generally the best tasting option. If you are using a pre-made soup mix look for varieties that less than 20 grams of carbohydrates and less than 800 mg of sodium. Happy soup making.