Jambalaya is a staple of creole cooking. Early settlers to Louisiana were French and Spanish and this dish is a prime example early American fusion cooking. It's name stems from the french "jamba", or ham and the Spanish "paella", or rice dish. Originally the dish was cooked in the big black pots, used for boiling syrup from sugar cane, on an open wood fire with boat oars for stirring. While it's name refers to ham, recipes often exclude it.