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Rice and peas is a traditional dish in some Caribbean and Latin American countries, notably Jamaica, where it is known as peas and rice.[1] Recipes vary throughout the region, but the two main ingredients are legumes such as pigeon peas or kidney beans and rice, combined with herbs, spices and/or coconut milk.[2]
The dish is of African and Afro-Creole origins, and was spread across tropical Africa by the Portuguese, and then across the Atlantic with the slave trade.[2] The spread of rice and beans has been described as:[3]
From the Caribbean basin the dish spread to surrounding countries to the west and south, including Brazil, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua, and parts of the southern United States.[4] Dishes composed of rice and various legumes are of course found in many other parts of the world. The Japanese dish osekihan, for instance, consists of white glutinous rice and red adzuki beans, but the “striking thing” about rice and beans is that it has become a symbol of local culture in so many places.[3]
The way in which the dish is prepared differs between the Anglo-Caribbean and Hispanic Caribbean countries. In the former, the rice and beans are cooked together in coconut milk, resulting in a dry dish usually served alongside a meat stew, whereas in Hispanic Caribbean countries the rice and beans are cooked together in water, and more often appear as a side dish rather than part of a main meal.[4]
