Jambalaya

Every year my church puts on a big Jambalaya dinner around Mardi Gras. It always is a big hit with everyone in town. A lot of people even come from out of town just to try our famous Jambalaya. During the dinner you are entertained with music played by the church band and friendly waiters and waitresses. The dinner is mainly put on around the history of Jambalaya and Mardi Gras.

Jambalaya originated in southern Louisiana by the Cajuns around the bayou where food was scarce. The word Jambalaya is a compound word of Jambon from the French meaning ham, and aya meaning rice in Africa. Many people believe that Jambalaya originated from the Spanish Paella which also has transformed in the United States as a dish called Spanish rice. Jambalaya is a bit different many times as it includes seafood, ham, link sausage, and chicken. But, most people have their own recipe for their own favorite Jambalaya mix.

What my church does for the dinner is we just add the chicken and the linked sausage and it tastes just great. Every year we always have a full house of excited guests that want to try the amazing Jambalaya and share good times with friends and family.