The Great Jambalaya Debate

Do you ever get a craving for something so intense that you do whatever you can do to fix said craving? Well, I have been craving Jambalaya. No, I am not pregnant, but this craving is strong like I am. I DO NOT want to make my own, even though Jambalaya Girl has one of the best. I want someone to cook it for me, then they can clean up the mess.

Where does one go to get a good big ole bowl of Jambalaya? Well, anywhere in New Orleans Jeanne, of course! No, WRONG. Stay with me. When I go to a restaurant and see Jambalaya on the menu, I immediately ask the most important question when it comes to Jambalaya, is it red or brown? The school fair close to my house legit has one of the best Jambalaya I have ever tasted. I missed out on it this year since there was no fair. And yes, it is brown…

Gonna drop some history on ya! New Orleans’ Creole cuisine came from multi-ethnic inspirations and available ingredients around the ports, i.e. tomatoes. The Cajun cuisine is mostly associated with the French (there I am) that settled near swamps and they got their ingredients from what the land had to offer.

Cajuns get the credit for creating jambalaya, and the easiest way to tell if you are eating Cajun or Creole jambalaya is by the color. If it is red, it is Creole, if it is brown, it is Cajun. I don’t know if it is the coonass in me or what, but I cannot eat it if it is red.

Are you Cajun or Creole? I am neither, but I would say, I like Cajun food over Creole. Red Jambalaya is blasphemous to me. New Orleans has a lot of good places, and I am not hating on them, at all, but it is just NOT JAMBALAYA to me! Please do not add that tomato sauce in it, just don’t do it.

Do you have a preference? Are you like me and ask about the red or brown jambalaya? Please tell me somewhere you have found that has a mean ole brown jambalaya!

Jeanne DeLasalle
Jeanne is a single mom to a wonderful son who loves nothing more than her family, friends, and her Saints. Born and raised in New Orleans, she enjoys everything this city has to offer. In her spare time you can catch her napping or binge watching movies on her couch. On Sunday's in the fall, she is in the Superdome and goes into a state of depression when football season is over.

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