Which 1878 cookbook contains jambalaya's first known cookbook appearance?

The Gulf City Cook Book contains the first known cookbook appearance of jambalaya, published in 1878. Compiled by the ladies of the St. Francis Street Methodist Episcopal Church South in Mobile, Alabama, it includes a recipe titled “Jam Bolaya.”

The cookbook is significant because it shows that the dish was already being recorded outside Louisiana in the nineteenth century. Its recipe is an early written example of a rice-based dish associated with the Gulf South, even though historical cooking traditions often circulated orally long before appearing in print.

The spelling “Jam Bolaya” can cause confusion, especially when readers expect the modern form “jambalaya.” The Picayune Cookbook is also associated with early Louisiana food writing, but it came later. Another common mix-up is confusing the first printed word with the first cookbook recipe: the word appeared in print earlier, while the Gulf City Cook Book is credited with the earliest known cookbook recipe.