jambalaya

IPA/ˌdʒæmbəˈlaɪə/
KK[dʒˌʌmbəlˈaɪə]IPA/ˌdʒæmbəˈlaɪə/

jambalaya — noun

  • jambalayasingular
  • jambalayasplural

1. a rice dish from Louisiana, usually cooked with meat or seafood, vegetables, and

1.nounC1
Definition

a rice dish from Louisiana, usually cooked with meat or seafood, vegetables, and spices.

Example

Tuan cooked jambalaya with sausage for the neighborhood block party.

pattern: cook jambalaya with sausage

At the New Orleans fair, Quinn ordered jambalaya and sweet tea.

Common collocations
  • chicken jambalaya
  • shrimp jambalaya
  • sausage jambalaya
  • cook jambalaya
  • serve jambalaya
Synonyms
  • rice dish

    a broad category term, not specifically from Louisiana

  • paella

    a Spanish rice dish usually cooked in a wide shallow pan

  • pilaf

    a seasoned rice dish with looser grains and a wider range of styles

Grammar Patterns

cook/make/serve + jambalaya

chicken/shrimp/sausage + jambalaya

Usage Note

Usually uncountable when you mean the dish as a type of food. It becomes countable when speakers mean separate servings or different menu versions.

Common Mistakes

We ate a jambalaya at dinner.
We ate jambalaya at dinner.
When you mean the dish in general, jambalaya is usually uncountable.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Jambalaya names a specific Louisiana rice dish, so it is much narrower than a general phrase like rice dish. Paella is also a rice dish with seafood or meat, but it belongs to Spanish cooking and is usually cooked in a wide, shallow pan. Pilaf is a broader word for seasoned rice with separate grains, and it does not suggest the spicy Louisiana style. Gumbo comes from the same regional food tradition, but it is a stew that is usually served with rice instead of cooking the rice in the same pot. Use jambalaya when you mean this exact mixed rice dish. Compare: We shared shrimp jambalaya after the parade. The cafe served chicken pilaf with yogurt.

jambalaya ↗paella ↗pilafgumbo

Common collocations

Nouns

  • chicken jambalaya
  • shrimp jambalaya
  • sausage jambalaya

Phrases

  • cook jambalaya
  • make jambalaya
  • serve jambalaya
  • eat jambalaya

Etymology

OccitanLouisiana FrenchEnglish

English borrowed jambalaya from Louisiana French, which got the word from Occitan jambalaia. In English it became the name of the mixed rice dish associated with Louisiana cooking.