Jambalaya and Gumbo

Jambalaya and Gumbo are two distinct things in my mind, but I discovered that they were just about the opposite and just as clear to a friend of mind, so I did some research for the definitive answer. The answer seems to be a) that we could both be right, to a degree, and b) we were both wrong about different things.

Which leaves what? For one, it leaves us with about a million recipes that don't vary quite as much as casseroles but might be a near thing. I'll provide one recipe for each that's fairy basic and includes some options, but for more, check out http://www.gumbopage.com/recipe-page.html and type in jambalaya or gumbo in the query box

For a generalized definition, wikipedia was pretty good and was supported, as far as it went, by the many recipes I found on line.

In essence, gumbo is a soup like I thought, and doesn't typically include rice until served if at all (it is regularly served on top of rice or rice and beans), but it usually has a thickened broth (typically with a flour and butter or oil roux) rather than a clear-ish broth as I thought.

Jambalaya, on the other hand, is made with a clear broth like she thought, and is sometimes more soup like than solid, but virtually always has the rice cooked in for the last half hour or longer of the cooking process. Most of the recipes call for cooking for several hours until quite thick and often call for browning meat, with the browning in the pan used to darken and enrich the broth. With the rice cooked in, leftovers will invariably become a rice cassarole, which won't happen with gumbo.

For the rest, they could almost be the same for the most common ingredient lists:
Vegetables:
Celery, onions, and peppers - these are the big three
Okra - if there's a fourth vegi, this is it
All other vegis vary, including tomato, though the closer to New Orleans the recipe originates, the more likely it is to have stewed tomatoes

Meats:
Meats are optional and are sometimes replaced with beans or more vegis and sometimes not.
Chicken and sausage (andouille or smoked, especially, though there are others) are common for both.
Gumbo is more likely than Jambalaya to have crawfish (crayfish to some, or freshwater shrimp, but for cajun or creole cooking, it's crawfish) or other seafood added or replacing all the chicken and sausage

Seasonings:
They vary considerably for heat but typically include:
Lots of garlic
black pepper
cayenne pepper (at least a bit)
salt
thyme

And may also include
parsley
worcestershire sauce
beef stock
fish stock
seafood stock
and other flavors

Cook's challenge: If you are comfortable with basics of soup and rice casserole preparations, designing your own gumbo can be fun and relatively easy (add water and cook longer will solve many potential problems).