Gumbo has one particular ingredient that makes it precious: filé, which is powdered sassafrass leaves. It also tends to use okra, and the outcome is a brownish sauce.

Jambalaya, which happens to be one of my most favorite dishes in the world, uses peppers and hot sauces as a base, and relies upon a meat mixture for its consistency. It tends to be spicier and red in color.

Both can be thick and served over rice although Gumbo tends to be more soup-like rather than stew-like. Gumbo also tends to focus more on seafoods like oysters and fish while Jambalaya can be a mixture of almost anything.

Etouffee is french for "smothered" and it is primarily a crawfish/shellfish dish that is also served over rice- with spicy seasonings, but is based off a roux of butter and flour to start, which thickens it as it cooks. It is a controversial dish as it has been adapted and changed but the traditional dish was crayfish meat served over rice.