Gumbo vs Jambalaya: Difference and Comparison

Thus, there are multiple cuisines that are famous, representing their regions, like – Indian, Chinese, Continental, Italian, Thai, Mexican, and many others.

Key Takeaways

1. Gumbo is a thick, stew-like dish with roux, while jambalaya is a rice-based dish.
2. Gumbo contains okra as a thickening agent, whereas jambalaya does not.
3. Gumbo is served over rice, while jambalaya has rice cooked directly into the dish.

Gumbo vs Jambalaya

Gumbo is a hearty stew that is popular in Louisiana and is the official state cuisine, It consists of a strongly flavoured stock, and it appears like soup with rice. Jambalaya is a casserole dish, also known as an American Creole and Cajun rice dish that consists of meat and vegetables mixed with rice.

The variety or say, the type of meat changes with the place or region where it is been made, and that may include – chicken, ham, sausage, shrimp, etc. The dish originally comes from Louisiana.

Jambalaya is also a dish that has been originated in Louisiana. The traditional dish is made with lots of vegetables in it including celery, onions, etc. The vegetables are mixed with meat, rice, and stock.

Comparison Table

Parameters of Comparison	Gumbo	Jambalaya
What it is?	Appears like a soup with rice	More like a casserole dish and rice is served within it
Consistency	It appears to be thick	It appears to be thin and less of a liquid
Presence of Rice	Cooked in different utensil	Cooked in the same utensil
Total Calories	Low	High
Ingredients	Vegetables, meat, stock	Vegetables, meat, stock, rice
Fats and Protein	Low	High
Different Types	Cajun gumbo, creole gumbo, gumbo z’herbs	Creole jambalaya, cajun jambalaya, white jambalaya

What is Gumbo?

Gumbo is a dish that appears to be like a soup or stew and is served along with rice cooked separately in the utensil.

There have been varied stories related to the origin of the dish, but the most common and accepted story is that it has been originated in Louisiana, Africa, by the slaves living there around the year 1764

and they used to cook okra with rice to make the dish.

Over time the ingredients and variety of them changed, and now the basic ingredient of the dish includes – celery, okra, thick stock, peppers, and onion.

Also, three different types of Gumbo dishes can be prepared, and these are – Cajun gumbo, Creole gumbo, and Gumbo z’herbs (vegetarian).  

What is Jambalaya?

Jambalaya is a dish that appears to be like a casserole dish and is also served with rice, but the difference is that the rice is been cooked within the same utensil as in which other vegetables and meat are cooked or prepared.

Jambalaya includes meats and seafood in good quantity, while White Jambalaya doesn’t include tomatoes, and thus the dish has a brown color because of the meat.

The ingredient of the dish is more the same as those of Gumbo, thus including vegetables like- celery, onion, peppers, rice, stock, meat – ham, smoked sausage, chicken, and seafood.

Main Differences Between Gumbo and Jambalaya

1. The amount of consumption of fats and proteins from the dish Gumbo is less, whereas comparatively, on the other hand, the amount of the consumption of fats and proteins is more. 
2. There are different ways or varied ways of preparing the dish Gumbo, and that includes – Cajun gumbo, creole gumbo, and gumbo z’herbs whereas comparatively, on the other hand, the different varied ways of preparing the Jambalaya dish is – Cajun jambalaya, white jambalaya, and creole jambalaya.

References

1. https://www.proquest.com/openview/2af65736471fc5d184a5ee59169843eb/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=36490
2. https://www.jstor.org/stable/540800
3. https://books.google.co.in/books?hl=en&lr=&id=5p3JazHY4UgC&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=difference+between+jambalaya+and+gumbo&ots=co0oO9onLT&sig=1TuNYA_QUifCYsZVsr9j2_9Rq70&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=difference%20between%20jambalaya%20and%20gumbo&f=false
4. https://www.culinarymedicine.org/moodle/upload/Publications/Monlezun%20et%20al%202014%20MANUSCRIPT%20Salt%20%20vP.pdf

Last Updated : 07 September, 2023