 Jamaican stew peas served with white rice | |
| Course | Main dish |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Jamaica |
| Region or state | Caribbean |
| Serving temperature | Hot |
| Main ingredients | Kidney beans, cured meats and coconut milk. |
Stew peas is aJamaicanstew made withbeans,salted meat,coconut milk,herbs andspices. It is a common dish in Jamaica, however a number of variations and similar dishes are made throughout theAmericas. With the main ingredients beinglegumes (beans / peas) and meats,stew peas contains a considerable amount of protein.[1]
Stew peas originated inJamaica, and is aCaribbeanCreole dish, created from a fusion of cooking techniques and ingredients— influenced by variousethnic groups that exist in the region.
The firstEuropean arrivals to theAmericas, theSpanish, introducedpigs,cattle and otherlivestock to Jamaica and the rest of theNew World.[2][3][4] They also introducedAsian rice to the Caribbean andLatin America.[2][5] Many Jamaican dishes which include rice, peas / beans, cured meats and stews, likebrown stew andstew peas, were contributed by them.[4] Other ingredients including herbs and spices likeonion,garlic,thyme etc. were also introduced by the Spanish.[2]
Kidney beans which are typically used in Jamaicanstew peas, are thought to have originated inPeru around 8,000 B.C.,[6][7] andcultivars were dispersed throughout the Americas by indigenousAmerindian tribes,[8] like theArawaks— then later the Spanish andPortuguese, who introduced them to other regions through theColumbian Exchange.[2][9] Also, the Arawaks cultivatedpimento and peppers includingscotch bonnet,[10] which they cooked with.
Duringslavery andindentureship, theAfricans also influenced the dish. Along with the Spanish, Portuguese,[5]French,[11]English,[5]Dutch[12] andEast Indians,[13] they contributed to the introduction and cultivation of rice in the region.[14][15][5]Pigeon peas (also known asCongo or Angola peas), which originated in India and were domesticated there 3500 years ago,[16] were also introduced by the Spanish and Portuguese, from Africa.[16][17]
Stew peas has been a staple dish in Jamaica since at least the 1940s, and recipes for it began to appear in cookbooks in the 1970s.[18] The dish is prepared in various unique ways by Jamaicans, and is a staple in Jamaican homes and restaurants, due to its popularity.[19][20] In September 1992, the Jamaican newspaper,The Gleaner, declaredstew peas with rice as"the best dish made in Jamaica", in its Home, Living and Food Guide.[18]
Jamaicanstew peas is prepared using kidney beans (red peas) and other similar cultivars or pigeon peas (also calledgungo peas), coconut milk and meats, especiallysalted meats such aspork andbeef.[21][22][23]Pig tail is often included, and sometimeschicken is used instead of pork or beef.Additional ingredients includeonion,garlic,escallion,scotch bonnet, herbs and spices.[22][24][25] In addition to being a main ingredient, the beans serve tothicken the stew.[19]Pinto beans and other similar varieties are more commonly used in theSpanish-speaking Caribbean and Latin America.[1]Canned beans can be used to preparestew peas, and it may be cooked in apressure cooker.[1] The dish may be prepared without meat[19]— referred to asital stew peas.In Jamaica,stew peas often includes slenderflourdumplings known as"spinners".[18][23] The dish is usually served atopwhite rice or with a side dish of rice.[19][24] The stew serves to moisten and complement the separately-prepared rice.[18]
Stew peas variations are made in other parts of the Caribbean, and there are many similar dishes across the Americas.[18] Dishes made with beans and rice or bean stews are staples inLatin cuisine. While some dishes are distinctly Latin in origins, with shared regional history, as well as, Anglo/Afro-Antillean migration in contingents, from Jamaica and some Caribbean islands to coastalCentral America (between the 17th and 20th centuries), some dishes bear similarities to Antillean variations.
