 Jamaican rice and peas | |
| Course | Side dish |
|---|---|
| Region or state | Caribbean and coastalLatin America |
| Serving temperature | Hot |
| Main ingredients | Rice;beans |
Rice and peas orpeas and rice is atraditional rice dish in someCaribbean andLatin American countries. Sometimes, the dish is made withpigeon peas, otherwise called 'gungo peas' by Jamaicans.[1]Kidney beans ('red peas'/beans) and other similar varieties are typically used in theGreater Antilles and coastalLatin America. Rice and peas recipes vary throughout the region, with each country having its own way(s) of making them and name(s)—with the two main ingredients beinglegumes (peas/beans) and rice, combined withherbs,spices and/orcoconut milk.
Rice and peas, a one-potCreole dish that originated in the Caribbean during the colonial era, includes a mixture of ingredients, cooking techniques and spices influenced by variousethnic groups in the region.
TheSpanish, the firstEuropean arrivals to theAmericas, contributed many peas/bean dishes and rice dishes. They also introducedAsian rice to the Caribbean and Latin America, as well as herbs and spices like garlic, thyme, onion, and oregano.[2][3]Kidney beans, another key ingredient, are thought to have originated inPeru around 8,000 B.C.,[4][5] andcultivars were dispersed throughout the Americas by indigenousAmerindian tribes by 500 B.C.,[6] then later the Spanish andPortuguese, who introduced them to other parts of the world.[2]Similarly, the Amerindians cultivatedpimento, and they spreadCapsicum chinense cultivars throughout the region, includingScotch bonnet and other peppers used in the dish.[7]
TheAfricans who arrived duringslavery andindentureship also influenced the dish. Along with the Spanish, Portuguese,[3]French,[8]English,[3]Dutch[9] andEast Indians,[10] they contributed to the introduction and cultivation of rice in the region.[11][12][3] Pigeon peas (also called Congo or Angola peas),[1] which originated in India and were domesticated there 3500 years ago,[1][13] were also introduced by the Spanish and Portuguese, from Africa.[13][14]Throughout the Caribbean and Latin America, they are referred to asgandule,guandules orguandu (Spanish and Portuguese),[15]gungo (Jamaican Patois)[16] andpwa kongo orpwa di bwa (French Creole)[17][18]— which were possibly derived from Bantu dialects,ngungu[19] orwandu[20] (Kongo) andoanda (Angolan Kimbundu).
The name "rice and peas" was originally used byJamaicans to identify the dish. In 1961,Frederic G. Cassidy said the dish had been referred to as Jamaica'scoat of arms.[21] The recipe is said to have spread throughout Central America, by enslaved and free Africans and Creoles who migrated to the area with British settlers, as well as merchants and labourers from Jamaica, between the mid-17th and 20th centuries.[22][23][24][25][26]
Jamaica
Rice and peas fromJamaica is one of the most popular variations from the region. It is typically eaten as aside dish, often accompanied withmeats orseafood. Jamaican rice and peas has been introduced to other parts of the world by thediaspora, and is eaten in other countries outside of the Caribbean. In Jamaica, the dish is especially prepared on Sundays for dinner.Kidney beans and other similar cultivars are normally used to prepare the dish; however,pigeon peas (gungo peas) and Jerusalem peas (Phaseolus trinervius) are traditionally cooked during theChristmas season.[27] Other ingredients includeScotch bonnet andpimento, which are native to the island, andlong-grain rice, coconut milk,scallion,garlic,salt andpepper, andthyme.[28] Sometimes,cured meat likecorned pork orbeef is added to rice and peas.[28]
Cuba
Moros y cristianos (also calledMoros), which means "Moors and Christians", andcongri are Cuban variations. Both side dishes resemble and taste similar to Jamaican rice and peas and Haitiandiri ak pwa orkongo; however, some of the ingredients are different.Moros is usually made withblack beans, whilecongri is made withred beans— which represent the IslamicMoors, with therice representingChristianSpaniards.[29] The dish commemorates theReconquista, and represents how both groups came to live together in theIberian Peninsula after a long period of battle.[29] According to Cuban historian and anthropologistFernando Ortiz Fernández,congri was adopted from the Haitians who settled inCuba during theHaitian Revolution.[30] Other ingredients includeonion,bell pepper, garlic,tomato,bay leaf,cumin,oregano andsalt.[31] Sometimes,bacon orpork is added.
Belize
Belizean rice and beans is the national dish ofBelize.[32] Its origins can be traced back to the ancientMayans,[33] who cultivated beans. Over time, influences from other ethnic groups who arrived in the country helped to develop the dish. The recipe originated from the Creole (Kriol)[34] population i.e. British settlers who arrived with African slaves from Jamaica (Baymen),[22] to cutlogwood, in the late 1700s and 1800s—later intermingling withmestizos and indigenous peoples.[35] It is typically made with kidney beans, and served as a side dish. Other ingredients include garlic, thyme, salt, pepper, long-grain rice,paprika, onion and coconut milk. Salt beef, pigtail or bacon may be added. The dish is very similar torice and peas from the Greater Antilles and Central American variations. The first Sunday in September is celebrated asNational Rice and Beans Day in Belize.[33]
Haiti
Diri ak pwa (also known asdiri kole) is"rice and peas" inHaitian Kreyol. It is considered to be part ofHaiti's national dish along with griot.[36][37] It is typically made with red beans, black beans orpinto beans.[38] The version with pigeon peas is calleddiri kole ak pwa kongo, and withlima beans,diri kongri.[30] Haitian variations resemble Jamaican, Cuban and Dominican variations. However, ingredients includeepis (green seasoning) and/orparsley, thyme, scallion, onion,shallot,cloves, garlic, salt, black pepper, bell pepper, long-grain rice, oil / butter andpiment bouc (Bahamian goat pepper) which is sometimes substituted withhabanero or scotch bonnet.[39] Sometimes, coconut milk is added.[38]
Dominican Republic
Moro de guandules ormoro de guandules con coco is a Dominican variation which may include coconut milk. It is eaten as a side dish, and is made with pigeon peas. The dish is similar to Jamaicanrice and peas (withgungo peas), and it is also a traditional Dominican Christmas food.[40] Other versions of the dish resemble Puerto Ricanarroz con gandules, and ingredients include garlic,cubanelle,cilantro, long-grain rice,celery, red onion,lippia micromera, andtomato paste.[41][42]Moro de habichuelas rojas is the version made with kidney beans.
Puerto Rico
Arroz con gandules isPuerto Rico'snational dish which is typically served with roasted pork.[43] It is similar to the Dominican variation, and is also served during Christmas and special occasions.[44] It is typically made with rice, pigeon peas,sazón (turmeric, cumin, coriander seeds, black pepper,annatto), olive oil,sofrito (bell peppers, cubanelle, cilantro, onion, garlic,aji dulce,culantro, andoregano brujo),alcaparrado (manzanilla olives, capers, andpimiento), banana leaf,broth, bay leaf, tomato paste and mashed plantain or green banana.[43]Salt pork,ham, bacon, salchichón (salami) orchorizo may be added. Other Puerto Ricanrice and peas dishes arearroz junto, which consists of similar ingredients,[45] andarroz mamposteao, which is usually made with kidney beans and similar ingredients, but the preparation is similar to Colombiancalentao.[46]
The Bahamas& Anguilla
The dish is known aspeas n' rice, from which the Bahamian folk song "Mamma don't want no Peas n' Rice and Coconut Oil" is named. The main components of this dish are rice, pigeon peas, onion,sweet pepper, thyme, browning, tomato paste, salt,pepper and celery. Sometimes, bacon is added. The texture ofpeas n' rice is different fromrice and peas, but more similar to the AmericanHoppin' John.[47]Peas and rice is the national dish ofAnguilla, which is also made with pigeon peas,[36] but is more similar in texture to Jamaicanrice and peas (with gungo).
Lesser Antilles
Peas and rice (alsopeas n' rice),pigeon peas and rice orrice and beans is made in other Caribbean islands likeBarbados,[48]St Kitts,[49]Grenada,[50]St Lucia[51] andTrinidad.[52] Some of these variations have adopted Jamaica'srice and peas recipes over time, and pigeon peas are typically used. Another Caribbean variation is a traditional Creole dish of theLesser Antilles calledpelau[53]— made mostly inGuadeloupe,[53]Dominica,[53]St Vincent,[53] St Lucia,[53] Trinidad,[54] Grenada[50] and theVirgin Islands. Pigeon peas orcowpeas are typically used, and meat is included.It is similar tocook-up rice fromGuyana.
French Antilles
Riz et pois d'angole,riz aux pois du bois ordiri pwa di bwa (rice and pigeon peas in French andAntillean Creole) is made in theFrench Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe andMartinique. The dish is eaten during Christmas. The version with kidney beans is calledriz haricots rouges (red bean rice) in Guadeloupe,[55] orriz créole aux haricots rouges (Creole rice with red beans) in Martinique.[56]InSt Martin, the dish is also calledpois et riz (peas and rice)[57] orles gan-dules moro. These variations are similar to Greater Antilleanrice and peas. Immigration to St Martin brought new recipes with red beans, black beans and black-eyed peas.[57]
Netherlands Antilles (Leeward Antilles)
Antilliaanse arros moro (Antillean rice and beans) is typically made with kidney beans, and is eaten as a side dish in theDutch Caribbean islands ofAruba,Bonaire andCuracao.[58] Other ingredients include tomato purée, long-grain rice, garlic,coriander, onion, stock, butter / oil and darksoy sauce or ketjap manis.
Nicaragua & Costa Rica
Gallo pinto which means "spotted rooster" in Spanish,[59] is aCentral American variation made mainly inNicaragua andCosta Rica. It is the national dish of both countries,[59][60] and is typically made with black or red beans in Costa Rica, while in Nicaragua red beans are used.[60] In both countries, the dish may be eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner.[59] The historical origins ofgallo pinto can be traced back toAfro-Caribbean people,[59][60][23] specificallyJamaicans.[61] In the 1800s,Jewish Jamaicans, most notably theLindo brothers[62] who were merchants and planters, migrated to Costa Rica and established businesses in agriculture (coffee, sugar, rice, banana and other produce).[63][64][65]
According to the bookMamita Yunai byCarlos Luis Fallas,Costa Ricans andNicaraguans worked together onbanana plantations, on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica wheregallo pinto was a staple dish[60]— introduced by emancipated African slaves from Jamaica, who worked on the banana plantations too.[61] As such, Nicaraguans took the Caribbean recipe back to Nicaragua, while Costa Ricans brought the recipe to theCentral Valley and made it a traditional meal there.[60] Further, the Jamaican Jews who arrived in the 19th century, integrated with the local population and settled in Cartago, San Jose andPuerto Limon.[66] Many Afro-Jamaicans also went to Costa Rica to work in the construction of the Atlantic Railroad and port[23]— thus, they brought their culture, dialect and culinary practices with them,[67] includingrice and peas. It is also believed that Afro-Jamaicans[68] andCreole-Jamaicans who settled in coastal Nicaragua (Mosquito Coast) during the mid-17th, 18th and 19th centuries[24] contributed the dish to coastal Central America.[59]
Panama
Gallo pinto,[69] also calledarroz con frijoles rojos[70] (rice and red beans) is also aPanamanian dish. It is typically made with kidney or pinto beans and includes pigtail. Another variation isarroz con guandú (also calledarroz navideño meaning "Christmas rice"),[71][72] which is made with pigeon peas, and is similar to Jamaicanrice and (gungo) peas and Puerto Ricanarroz con gandules— typically eaten at family celebrations and on holidays,[71] such as Christmas.[72] Both dishes are especially popular onPanama's Caribbean coast, in the provinces of Colón andBocas del Toro.[73] The recipes were adopted from Afro-Antillean people, specifically Jamaicans,[74][75] who migrated to Panama in waves, between the mid-1840s and 1940s, to work on banana plantations in Central America, as well as, to build thePanama Railway andPanama Canal.[73][75] Jews from Jamaica[76] and Curacao, also migrated to Panama during the mid-19th century— most of whom engaged in commerce, owning factories.[77][76] Many of those who migrated stayed and integrated, thus influenced the country's cuisine, music and dialect.[78]
Honduras & El Salvador
Casamiento which means "marriage", describes the combination of rice and red beans as one dish.[79][80] It is a typical dish eaten on the second Friday ofLent,[81] and generally eaten as a side dish especially along the Caribbean coast andBay Islands region ofHonduras. InEl Salvador,casamiento is usually eaten as a traditional breakfast.[80] The dish's roots can be traced to the Anglo-Antilleans, who migrated to the area with English settlers, during the 18th and 19th centuries.[82] As was the case with Nicaragua, under British occupation, several contingents of Afro-Antillean[82] and Creole people,[83] mainly from Jamaica, Belize and theCayman Islands arrived on the islands and alongLa Mosquitia— to work in agriculture (mainly banana production), and later to build railroads and ports.[84][82][26][85]
The origin ofcasamiento in El Salvador is unclear, but it is likely that the recipe may have spread from neighbouring Central American countries. Slaves from Belize fled to El Salvador, after slavery was abolished in 1825, eventually integrating with locals.[86][87] However, though El Salvador did not experience Afro-Antillean migration like other parts of the region, elements of Afro-Caribbean culture were still adopted.[87]Casamiento is considered to be a fusion of ingredients (beans and rice) from the indigenousMesoamericans and Spanish respectively, with African influences in the preparation of the dish.[80]
Guatemala
Guatemalanrice and beans isGuatemala's version ofrice and peas, which is also made with kidney beans and coconut milk cooked with rice. This one-pot dish which is popular along the country's Caribbean coast, originated from the Creole population that arrived in contingents.[88] In the 18th century, Creole slaves who came from Jamaica, Cuba and Puerto Rico went to Guatemala.[89] Also, after the abolition of slavery in El Salvador, slaves from Belize fled across the borders into Guatemala and Honduras.[87] Further, in the 19th and early 20th centuries, Afro-Antilleans[90] from nearby Caribbean islands, such as Jamaica, were brought in to work on banana plantations and farms, primarily for theUnited Fruit Company, as well as, in the construction of railroads, and the whaling industry.[87][91] Another contingent of Antilleans were theGarifunas from St Vincent,[90] who were exiled inRoatan by British settlers.[92] They spread to Guatemala, along with other settlers, and have since lived along theBay of Amatique, particularly in Livingston.[92][93] Consequently, coastal Guatemala has retained attributes of Caribbean culture, including dishes such asrice and beans (in English).[94]
San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina, Colombia
Rice and beans is also a dish inSan Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina,Colombia. The dish is identical to Jamaicanrice and peas, made with kidney beans, and is one of several Jamaican dishes adopted— along with the dialect and other cultural attributes.[95] In the 1600s, this Colombian department was a British territory, where plantations were established and English settlers engaged inprivateering. After occupation by the Spanish and Portuguese, Englishbuccaneers led byHenry Morgan, took over the islands, which were used as a base to attack Panama.[96] The islands were occupied by mostly EnglishProtestants, who first arrived from Barbados, in the 17th century, and slaves mainly from Jamaica who worked in lumbering, cotton and tobacco cultivation.[97] By the 20th century, Anglo/Afro-Caribbean people had migrated to the islands, as well as, coastal Latin America for employment— thus, majority of the population (theRaizal) has a strong Caribbean heritage,[98] hence the dish's roots.
Colombia
In Colombia,calenta'o which means "heated" or "warmed up" (in Criolla), orcalentado (in Spanish), is a rice and beans dish traditionally eaten for breakfast.[99] It differs fromrice and peas, as the dish is made fromleftover beans and rice, but similar in that they are combined. The dish which is fromAntioquia and the Coffee Zone, is believed to be a colonial era dish—created by African slaves repurposing leftovers of their Spanish masters' food.[99][100][101]Calenta'o is a versatile dish, which may be served with other accompaniments such as eggs andarepas.
Arroz de fríjol cabecita negra (black head bean rice) is a dish made with rice and black-eyed peas, from Colombia's Caribbean coast.[102] The dish is popular in Cartagena, and is eaten in other coastal states.[102] It resembles the AmericanHoppin' John, Brazilianbaião de dois and Haitiandiri ak pwa with black-eyed peas. Sometimes, coconut milk is added. It is believed to be a colonial era dish. Other variations which are similar torice and peas, calledarroz con frijoles (rojos, negros and morados) are also made in coastal Colombia.
Venezuela
Palo a pique llanero is a one-pot dish which includes rice, beans and meat.[103] It dates back to the 19th century, and originated in the VenezuelanLos Llanosplain.[103] The dish is also made inGuyana.[103] It can be made with kidney beans orfrijoles bayos (bay beans),[103] and is similar topelau made in Trinidad and other Lesser Antillean islands, and Guyanesecook-up rice with black-eyed peas (typically eaten onNew Year's Eve / Old Year's Night).
InVenezuela,arroz con caraotas (rice with beans) is another dish made with rice and beans combined.[104] It resembles Cubanmoros y cristianos andarroz congri, as well as, other Greater Antillean and Central American variations ofrice and peas / beans.[104] The dish is typical of coastal Venezuela. Like the other Latin countries mentioned, Venezuela also experienced waves of Antillean migration, which could explain the similarities.
Brazil
Baião de dois is a Brazilian one-pot dish made from black-eyed peas / pigeon peas or green beans (feijão verde), and rice. It is similar tomoro de guandules from the Dominican Republic, andarroz con gandules from, Puerto Rico. The dish originated in the state ofCeará, and is typical ofBrazil'sNortheast Region.[105] The name is related tobaião, a northeastern style of music and dance (for two), which is a fusion of indigenous Amerindian, African and European influences— like the dish.Dois ("2" in Portuguese) refers to the combination of the two main ingredients i.e. rice and peas. In the mid-20th century, the name became popular with the songBaião de Dois, by composer and Ceará native,Humberto Teixeira, and the"Rei do Baião" (King of Baião),Luiz Gonzaga.[105][106]
...sabores que me encantan o que evocan fiestas como es la Navidad puertorriqueña. ¡A cocinar gandules!...Arroz con gandules y pasteles para la Navidad Puertorriqueña.
