Paella vs Jambalaya, Round 2

For as long as I’ve been cooking, in my humble, honest, professional opinion, I can’t really tell much difference between jambalaya and paella. I love them both. Obviously I have been pondering this for quite some time and still haven’t figured it out. Paella vs Jambalaya I wrote this piece about 3 years ago and am still perplexed. I was even more surprised to see that when you google “jambalaya vs paella”, I am actually referenced on the google website for it. Surprise, surprise, surprise! I just found that out. 🙂

The two dishes have a lot in common because jambalaya was historically inspired by Louisiana’s Spanish settlers attempting to recreate paella using local Gulf Coast ingredients and West African rice techniques. The pros distinguish them this way: Jambalaya and paella are kissing cousins, but with distinct geographical and flavor differences. Paella is a Spanish dish flavored with saffron and cooked in a shallow pan for a crispy crust. Jambalaya is a Louisiana Creole/Cajun dish utilizing long-grain rice, spicy Andouille sausage, and cayenne pepper, cooked in a deep, covered pot. OK. That doesn’t really help much.

Both jambalaya and paella are considered to be poor man’s food. They are both made from little bits of this and little bits of that, and will be different every time you make them. The spices are generally different and usually the types of rice are different too. The cooking methods also vary slightly. Paella is cooked uncovered in a wide, flat pan (the paellera) to create a coveted crispy layer of rice at the bottom called the socarrat. Jambalaya is a one-pot dish cooked in a deep pot with a tight lid, resulting in a fluffier, more stew-like or casserole texture.

This is the paella we made in Barcelona a few years ago with Chef Andre.

We made Paella Marisco, with seafood.

If you are cooking traditional Spanish paella, there are three main types. The three traditional types of paella are: Paella Valenciana (the original meat-based dish), Paella de Marisco (seafood paella), and Paella Mixta (a combination of both meat and seafood). I tend to make the Paella Mixta, with a combination of meat, chicken and seafood most often. That was my latest version too.

This is the paella I just made. Obviously I don’t have a big paellera, but they are basically the same. Both are delicious or delicioso.

If you call it paella or if you call it jambalaya, either way, you’re going to love it. It’s like potato vs pototo or tomato vs tomoto. 🙂

Life is short. Don’t waste your time on the semantics of the little things. Just go out and live life and live it to the fullest. Enjoy the ride. Make the most out of everyday and have a great day. ‘Til next time.