Rice dressing was a principal part of Sunday dinners when I was a youngster. Baked chicken, petit pois (sweet little peas) and sometimes candied yams rounded out the menu. The dressing also turned up for holiday barbecues during the summer, as well as accompanying baked ham on Easter. It often appears on barbecue “plate lunches” everywhere in South Louisiana.
I didn’t hear the term “dirty rice” until I worked at Oak Alley Plantation in the 1980s. In fact, I just assumed dirty rice and rice dressing were the same thing, until a friend shamed me.
“You have been a food writer for years and you don’t know the difference?”
Well, I believe the terms have often been used interchangeably, but the difference is in the meat that is used. For example, my mother’s recipe begins with a roux and it calls for ground pork and chicken gizzards.
So, is my mother’s recipe rice dressing or dirty rice? Doing a little research and talking to some of my chef friends, I learned that dirty rice is usually made with ground-up organ meats, such as chicken livers, gizzards and hearts. Rice dressing is usually made with ground beef, pork or even venison. So, all my life, I thought the opposite?!
Most of my friends, when questioned, said that what they had growing up was rice dressing rather than dirty rice.
A few other responses:
“Grew up with rice dressing. Didn’t know what dirty rice was. The difference? Maybe the wetness or dryness.”
“Hmm, one ya’ gotta wash before eating and the other you had to put on your good clothes when dining … close?”
“Rice dressing. Dirty rice is from someplace else.”
“The bigger question is ‘Did you momma put liver or eggplant in your rice dressing?’ We put liver. If it was eggplant, it was dirty rice.”
“Dirty rice uses chicken livers and gizzards cooked down in the base … rice dressing uses ground beef and pork.”
“LOL!!!! My mom said there’s nothing dirty in her kitchen!!!!!! Need I say more?!”“Rice dressing. I never heard the phrase ‘dirty rice’ until I was an adult.”
“We’ve always called it rice dressing. I didn’t know there was a difference. I just thought Popeyes Fried Chicken called their rice dressing ‘dirty rice.’”
“Dirty rice was 50/50 ground beef and pork with chicken livers (usually the livers were puréed). Very popular in my hometown (Vacherie) was dressing sandwiches…same as dirty rice but without rice and a little breadcrumbs added. Served on Evangeline White Bread! This was served at every wedding.”
“Grew up with rice dressing. Was always under the impression that rice dressing was more of a Cajun dish name and dirty rice was of the Creole heritage.”
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