Photo by Becky Robert
The 41st Annual Jambalaya Festival in Gonzales, Louisiana takes place on 5/22-25 this year. Find out who will be this year's World Champion in the Jambalaya Cooking Contest! See this year's Gonzales Jambalaya Queens! Listen to zydeco! Eat jambalaya! Laisser les bon temps rouler!
Just what is jambalaya, you ask? From the festival website: "Today it is a Cajun/Creole dish made from a mixture of meats, rice and seasonings blended to produce a delicious dish. It can be made (separately or all together) with ham, chicken, sausage, fresh pork, shrimp and oysters, to which is added shortening, rice, onion, garlic, pepper and other seasonings."
The contest rules are fascinating. Here are some excerpts:
JAMBALAYA COOKING CONTEST RULES
Cooking ingredients must include:
Preliminary: 30 lbs. chicken; 10 lbs rice
Semi-Finals: 45 lbs. chicken; 15 lbs rice
Finals: 60 lbs. chicken; 20 lbs. rice
Other ingredients and Seasonings to be chosen from the following:
Yellow Onions Garlic (Fresh & Granulated)
Green Onions Red Pepper
Red Hot Sauce Bell Peppers
Celery Salt
Black Pepper Cooking Oil
Cooks must furnish black iron pot with metal lid and paddle.
Jambalaya must be cooked on wood furnished by JFA.
All Hen must be in the pot during the cooking of the rice. Tough or underdone Hen will be penalized during judging.
Heats will consist of no more than 17 cooks. Four (4) semi-finalists will be picked from each heat. Two (2) semi-final heats will be Sunday morning with 16 cooks in each heat. Six (6) finalists will be picked from each of the 2 semi-final heats. Twelve (12) finalists will compete Sunday afternoon to obtain the title of WORLD CHAMPION JAMBALAYA COOK.
GOOD LUCK HAVE FUN BE SAFE