Held in Gonzales, Louisiana — the "Jambalaya Capital of the World" — this annual three-day festival features cooking contests, live music and entertainment, carnival rides, and vendor booths.

Similar to Spanish paella, "jambalaya" is derived from the Spanish jamon for ham, pronounced "jahm-buh-LIE-uh" or "jum-buh-LIE-uh". A mainstay in Creole cookery since the late 1700s, today’s jambalaya 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.