Went to read about Jambalaya and what do you know?
Excerpt from Wikipedia: One origin story of New Orleans jambalaya suggests that it was based on Jollof rice, a West African dish. Many of the slaves that lived in New Orleans came from West Africa and would have been familiar with the dish of Jollof rice. Like jambalaya, Jollof rice was traditionally made from whatever ingredients were handy, such as seafood, crawfish, and various meats. Tomatoes are always present in its preparation.
Another origin story states jambalaya originates from the French Quarter of New Orleans, in the original [1][2] sector. It was an attempt by the Spanish to make paella in the New World, where saffron was not readily available due to import costs. Tomatoes became the substitute for saffron. As time went on, French influence became strong in New Orleans, and spices from the Caribbean changed this New World paella into a unique dish. In modern Louisiana, the dish has evolved along a variety of different lines. Creole jambalaya, or red jambalaya, is found primarily in and around New Orleans, where it is simply known as "jambalaya".[citation needed] Creole jambalaya includes tomatoes, whereas Cajun jambalaya does not.
So interestingly, it could originally be a Nigerian dish, evolved with a twist. No wonder 