What Is Dirty Rice?

Sometimes you just want to get down and dirty. Christina Aguilara recognized this when she released her 2002 hit, Dirrty, featuring Redman. I don’t remember exactly what that song was about. So I’m just going to assume it was about a heaping, steaming bowl of dirty rice. What is dirty rice? What is in dirty rice? Is dirty rice spicy? Why is it called dirty rice? Let’s get down and dirty with some dirty rice!

What is dirty rice?

Dirty rice is a traditional Creole/Cajun dish eaten in Louisiana and throughout the South, especially along the Gulf Coast. Dirty rice is one of those classic, deceptively simple soul food dishes that packs a surprising amount of flavor. 

Dirty rice is believed to have originated with enslaved people in Antebellum Louisiana, around the late 1700s. Cooks took the abundance of white rice and other staple crops and combined them with any cuts of meat that were available. 

What is in dirty rice?

The first rule of dirty rice is don’t ask what’s in dirty rice. Okay, maybe that’s not a hard and fast rule, but if your squeamish friends ask you what’s in dirty rice while you’re serving them some dirty rice, just tell them to shut up and eat it. 

Dirty rice is made with white rice and the “holy trinity” of Cajun and Creole cooking: onion, celery, and green bell pepper. Those ingredients are mixed with bits of pork, chicken, or beef, spiced with cayenne, then topped with black pepper and green onions. Oh, and there’s also liver and other chicken organs in there. 

That’s right, real, traditional, old school dirty rice gets its delicious funk from giblets. That would be liver, hearts, and gizzards, ground up and poured over the simmering rice. For me, dirty rice just doesn’t taste right without some pureed chicken liver. However, for the giblet-averse out there, there are plenty of recipes that skip the innards and substitute things like chicken thighs and andouille sausage.

Is dirty rice spicy?

Now, I know some people get all antsy when they hear that a food is Creole or Cajun. They want to know if it’s spicy. Cajun and Creole foods have a ton of flavor and spice, but they’re not all necessarily spicy. So, is dirty rice spicy? Yeah, a little. Dirty rice can have a little spicy kick to it. But it’s not like there’s a Hot Ones dirty rice challenge or anything. So settle down and have some.

Why is dirty rice called dirty rice?

Is dirty rice called dirty rice because you feel dirty after you eat it? No, of course not. You shouldn’t feel dirty about eating any food! Be food positive! 

So, why is it called dirty rice? Because dirty rice looks a little dirty. When those bits and pieces of meat cling to the rice, the white rice takes on a little bit of a brown color. It looks like it’s a little dirty and could use a light dusting. With how delicious dirty rice is, I think more foods could stand to get a little dirty.