Dirty rice is a traditional Louisiana Creole dish made from white rice which gets a "dirty" color from being cooked with small pieces of pork, beef or chicken, green bell pepper, celery, and onion, [1] and spiced with cayenne and black pepper. [2] Parsley and chopped green onions are common garnishes. Dirty rice is most common in the Creole regions of southern Louisiana; however, it can also be found in other areas of the American South and referenced as "chicken and rice," "Cajun rice," or "rice dressing".
The earliest versions of this dish trace back to the late 1700s in southern Louisiana and fall under the category of soul food. During this period, the individuals working the slave trade brought crops from black people and captives with the knowledge to cultivate them in the colonies. These crops included sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and beans.
Captive farmers from the coast of West Africa, who included rice in many aspects of their diets, were brought to Louisiana as enslaved people for their ability to cultivate the crop in the marshes and bayous. As a result, rice plantations became large and profitable institutions for Louisiana land owners. [3] The plentiful nature of rice made it an inexpensive commodity allotted to enslaved people. Along with corn, beans, sorghum, succotash, and greens; rice was one of the limited foods enslaved people were allowed to eat on the plantation. Enslaved peoples were also given the "undesirable" cuts of the meat which would otherwise be thrown away by plantation owners. This generally included intestines, neck, feet, head, ears, ribcage, tail, and tongue of the hogs, cow, and chickens. Through these options, enslaved people adapted to create meals to feed themselves and their families. [4]
The rice, combined with the organ meat provided by the slave owners, were the primary components of dirty rice. [5] Often, the dish would be made with the hearts, livers, kidneys, gizzards, ribs, and feet of the plantation livestock provided to them. [4] [5] The meat would be cooked down first, then chopped into fine pieces while the rice cooked. Then, the rice would be mixed in with this meat mixture, and the broth-type "gravy" formed by the meat would give the rice its "dirty" appearance. The "dirtiness" mentioned in the meal's name is likely also due to the choice of meat traditionally included in the dish.
In the 1800s, harmful stereotypes emerged that associated black individuals with certain foods, such as fried chicken, chitterlings, watermelon, and dirty rice. [6] These stereotypes had complex origins, but the American Civil War played a significant role in their creation. These negative ideals were reinforced through offensive portrayals in popular culture, such as minstrel shows and commercial branding. [7]
After the abolition of slavery in the late 1800s, the dish remained a traditional meal of the freed African Americans due to its affordable and easy-to-make nature. It was later adopted as a "poor man's meal" by the poor White and the Acadian "Cajun" immigrants who also populated the lower class of Southern Louisiana. [8] These individuals would have their own farms and hunt for wild game, allowing them to make simple meals such as this one to feed their families. Thus, the dish continued to be one associated with poverty. However, as these individuals gained more wealth and with it, access to better ingredients, the recipe saw more expensive additions being incorporated, such as Andouille sausage and ground beef instead of chicken livers and pig intestines. They would also include additional spices, such as bay leaves, garlic, and cayenne pepper. [9]
As a result, the recipe for dirty rice is one that adapts to the means of the cook and the available ingredients on hand. While ground meat and rice are the two most consistent ingredients, the types of meat vary, and a blend of vegetables such as peppers and onions are often included. The way the dish is seasoned can also vary from simple salt and black pepper, to a more elaborate blend of herbs, spices, hot sauces, and aromatics.
A well-known variation of this rice dish is another Cajun staple, jambalaya.
In the wake of healthy eating initiatives, the recipe has experienced some health-conscious variations that include using ground turkey over pork, as well as cooking the dish in vegetable oils instead of oils heavy in trans fats. Additionally, the addition organ meat has largely been substituted with prime cuts of ground beef, chicken and pork.
Dirty rice is frequently referred to as Cajun Rice in Louisiana and other parts of the South due to the dish's history with the Acadian immigrants of Louisiana. [10] Cajun rice typically incorporates Andouille sausage, bell pepper, celery, and onions along with a blend of traditional Cajun spices. In some southern regions, it is also called rice dressing. [11] Rice dressing may be prepared using ground beef or ground pork, rather than chicken liver and giblets. [12]
Despite its meager origins, dirty rice is considered a staple dish in the American South as an example of "authentic" Louisiana, Creole, and Cajun cooking. [5] The dish is served as a main course as well as a side, and is often served alongside other traditional Louisianan dishes, including étouffée and gumbo to name a few. Prepackaged mixes of the rice, vegetables and spices are sold in grocery stores by brands such as Zatarain's, Tony Chachere's, and Louisiana Fish Fry Products—all brands that cater towards traditional Louisiana cuisine. It is a dish commonly served in Louisiana tourist spots and cooked by popular chefs, including celebrity chef and New Orleans restaurateur Emeril Lagasse. It is a well-known dish served in regions all over the South.
Cajun cuisine is a subset of Louisiana cooking developed by the Cajuns, itself a Louisianan development incorporating elements of Native American, West African, French, and Spanish cuisine.
The cuisine of the Southern United States encompasses diverse food traditions of several subregions, including cuisine of Southeastern Native American tribes, Tidewater, Appalachian, Ozarks, Lowcountry, Cajun, Creole, African American cuisine and Floribbean, Spanish, French, British, and German cuisine. In recent history, elements of Southern cuisine have spread to other parts of the United States, influencing other types of American cuisine.
Gravy is a sauce made from the juices of meats and vegetables that run naturally during cooking and often thickened with thickeners for added texture. The gravy may be further coloured and flavoured with gravy salt or gravy browning or bouillon cubes. Powders can be used as a substitute for natural meat or vegetable extracts. Canned and instant gravies are also available. Gravy is commonly served with roasts, meatloaf, rice, noodles, fries (chips), mashed potatoes, or biscuits.
Louisiana Creole cuisine is a style of cooking originating in Louisiana, United States, which blends West African, French, Spanish, and Native American influences, as well as influences from the general cuisine of the Southern United States.
Gumbo is a stew that is popular among the U.S. Gulf Coast community with the New Orleans stew variation and is the official state cuisine of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Gumbo consists primarily of a strongly flavored stock, meat or shellfish, a thickener, and the Creole "holy trinity": celery, bell peppers, and onions. Gumbo is often categorized by the type of thickener used, whether okra or filé powder.
Offal, also called variety meats, pluck or organ meats, is the internal organs of a butchered animal. The word does not refer to a particular list of edible organs, and these lists of organs vary with culture and region, but usually exclude skeletal muscle. Offal may also refer to the by-products of milled grains, such as corn or wheat.
Jambalaya is a savory rice dish that developed in the U.S. state of Louisiana fusing together African, Spanish, and French influences, consisting mainly of meat or seafood, and vegetables mixed with rice and spices. West Africans and Spanish people each had versions of jambalaya in their respective countries. Historian Ibraham Seck states Senegalese people were making jambalaya. The French introduced tomato to West Africans and they incorporated the crop into their one-pot rice dishes that created jambalaya and enhanced jollof rice. Spanish people made paella which is also a one-pot rice dish cooked with meats and vegetables. These styles of cuisines blended in Louisiana and resulted in cultural and regional variations of the dish.
Peasant foods are dishes eaten by peasants, made from accessible and inexpensive ingredients.
Pennsylvania Dutch cuisine is the typical and traditional fare of the Pennsylvania Dutch.
Haitian cuisine is a Creole cuisine that originates from a blend of several culinary styles that populated the western portion of the island of Hispaniola, namely African, French, indigenous Taíno, Spanish, and Arab influences. Haitian cuisine has some similarities with "criollo" cooking and similar to the rest of the Caribbean, but differs in several ways from its regional counterparts. Flavors are bold and spicy demonstrating African and French influences, with notable derivatives coming from native Taíno and Spanish techniques.
Venetian cuisine, from the city of Venice, Italy, or more widely from the region of Veneto, has a centuries-long history and differs significantly from other cuisines of northern Italy, and of neighbouring Austria and of Slavic countries, despite sharing some commonalities.
A meatball is ground meat (mince) rolled into a ball, sometimes along with other ingredients, such as bread crumbs, minced onion, eggs, butter, and seasoning. Meatballs are cooked by frying, baking, steaming, or braising in sauce. There are many types of meatballs using different types of meats and spices. The term is sometimes extended to meatless versions based on legumes, vegetables, mushrooms, fish or other seafood.
Omani cuisine is part of the Khaleeji cuisine and is influenced by Arab, Pakistani cuisine, Iranian, Indian, Asian, Eastern Mediterranean, and African cuisine, reflecting Oman's position as a vast trading empire at the intersection of traditional spice trade routes. Dishes are often based on chicken, fish, and lamb, as well as the staple of rice. Most Omani dishes tend to contain a rich mixture of spices, herbs, and marinades. Omani cuisine differs from other cuisines in the Arabian peninsula, as it is less spicy and seldom served warm.
Rice and gravy is a staple of Louisiana Creole and Cajun cuisine, made by deglazing a pan to make brown gravy, simmering with extra seasonings, and serving over steamed or boiled rice.
Smothering meat, seafood or vegetables is a cooking technique used in both Cajun and Creole cuisines of Louisiana. The technique involves cooking in a covered pan over low heat with a moderate amount of liquid, and can be regarded as a form of stove-top braising. The meat dishes cooked in this fashion are typically served over boiled or steamed white rice as a rice and gravy, while the vegetables are typically served as side dishes.
The cuisine of New Orleans encompasses common dishes and foods in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is perhaps the most distinctively recognized regional cuisine in the United States. Some of the dishes originated in New Orleans, while others are common and popular in the city and surrounding areas, such as the Mississippi River Delta and southern Louisiana. The cuisine of New Orleans is heavily influenced by Creole cuisine, Cajun cuisine, and soul food. Later on, due to immigration, Italian cuisine and Sicilian cuisine also has some influence on the cuisine of New Orleans. Seafood also plays a prominent part in the cuisine. Dishes invented in New Orleans include po' boy and muffuletta sandwiches, oysters Rockefeller and oysters Bienville, pompano en papillote, and bananas Foster, among others.
Balinese cuisine is a cuisine tradition of Balinese people from the volcanic island of Bali. Using a variety of spices, blended with the fresh vegetables, meat and fish. Part of Indonesian cuisine, it demonstrates indigenous traditions, as well as influences from other Indonesian regional cuisine, Chinese and Indian. The island's inhabitants are predominantly Hindu and culinary traditions are somewhat distinct with the rest of Indonesia, with festivals and religious celebrations including many special foods prepared as the offerings for the deities, as well as other dishes consumed communally during the celebrations.
A stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been cooked in liquid and served in the resultant gravy. Ingredients can include any combination of vegetables and may include meat, especially tougher meats suitable for slow-cooking, such as beef, pork, venison, rabbit, lamb, poultry, sausages, and seafood. While water can be used as the stew-cooking liquid, stock is also common. A small amount of red wine or other alcohol is sometimes added for flavour. Seasonings and flavourings may also be added. Stews are typically cooked at a relatively low temperature, allowing flavours to mingle.