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Gallo pinto

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gallo pinto
Gallo pinto served with cheese
CourseBreakfast, lunch, dinner
Place of originNicaragua and Costa Rica [1][2][3]
Region or stateCentral America
Serving temperatureHot
Main ingredientsRice, beans
VariationsRegional variations
Food energy
(per serving)
200 kcal (837 kJ)
Nutritional value
(per serving)
Protein7 g
Fat0.5 g
Carbohydrate40 g

Gallo pinto or gallopinto[4] is a traditional dish from Central America. Consisting of rice and beans as a base, gallo pinto has a long history and is important to Nicaraguan and Costa Rican identities and cultures, just as rice and beans variations are equally important in many Latin American cultures as well. It has similarities with the Cuban moros y cristianos dish and Jamaican rice and peas. It is served with breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

The beans in gallo pinto are cooked with garlic, oregano and onion. When the bean juice is in equal parts with the beans, they are then combined with leftover or previously prepared rice. The rice is prepared with bell peppers, salt and onions.

Etymology

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Gallo pinto means "spotted rooster" in Spanish. The name is said to originate in the multi-colored or speckled appearance that results from cooking the rice with black or red beans. The term may also be shortened depending on the region.

History

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It is uncertain and disputed which country is the precise origin of the dish.[5] Both Nicaragua and Costa Rica claim it as their own, and its origin is a controversial subject between the two countries.[1][2][3]

Gallo pinto is one of many various Latin American plates that involve the preparation of the most integral ingredients for many cultures: rice and beans. The dish is considered to be a mestizo or Creole product— a combination of beans, cultivated by Indigenous people of pre-Columbian time, rice, a grain introduced by the Spanish, and a Caribbean recipe introduced by Afro-Jamaicans,[3][2][6][7] Creole-Jamaicans[8][9] and Jewish Jamaicans[10][11][12][13] who migrated to Costa Rica[14] and Nicaragua[15] during the mid 17th, 18th and 19th centuries.[16][3]

Rice, originally from Asia, was introduced by Arabs in Spain and became a main but versatile ingredient in the 15th and 16th centuries. With the Spanish colonization of the Americas, the Spanish introduced rice quickly to Mexico and South America. It is suggested that within the 18th century, the cultivation of rice became relevant to Central America. Asian rice was cultivated by Africans in the neolithic period, and with their arrival to the Americas as slaves by Europeans, they were already accustomed to eating rice. This occurred as well with beans, which were cultivated centuries prior in Mesoamerica. On their travels to America, slaves were given bowls and a wooden spoon from which they ate twice a day. They ate primarily beans and European or African rice, along with maize, yams, cassava, and sponge cake.[17]

The origins of gallo pinto's recipe can be traced back to Afro-Caribbean people,[3][2][6] specifically Jamaicans.[7] In the 1800s, Jewish Jamaicans, most notably the Lindo brothers[18] who were merchants and planters, migrated to Costa Rica and established businesses in agriculture (coffee, sugar, rice, banana and other produce).[19][20][21] According to the book Mamita Yunai by Carlos Luis Fallas, Costa Ricans and Nicaraguans worked together on banana plantations, on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica where gallo pinto was a staple dish[2]— introduced by free Africans from Jamaica, who also worked on the banana plantations.[7] As such, Nicaraguans took the Caribbean recipe back to Nicaragua, while Costa Ricans brought the recipe to the Central Valley and made it a traditional meal there.[2] Further, the Jamaican Jews who arrived in the 19th century, integrated with the local population and settled in Cartago, San Jose and Puerto Limon.[22] Many Afro-Jamaicans also migrated to Costa Rica to work in the construction of the Atlantic Railroad and port[6]— thus, they brought their culture and culinary practices with them,[23] including rice and peas. It is also believed that Afro-Jamaicans[24]  and Creole-Jamaicans who settled in coastal Nicaragua (Mosquito Coast) during the mid-17th, 18th and 19th centuries[25] contributed the dish to coastal Central America.[3]

Regional variations

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For similar dishes with rice and beans around the world, see Rice and beans § International dishes and variations.

Gallo pinto is found in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Panama. In the Caribbean, the dish is called rice and peas, from which gallo pinto is derived— prepared with coconut milk. Similarly, in Guatemala, the dish is known as rice and beans, and casamiento, in Honduras and El Salvador.

Costa Rica

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In Costa Rica they will often eat it with Lizano sauce. There are also two main variations:

  • Valle Central: Gallo pinto is more moist, usually prepared with black beans, less greasy, and is seasoned with chili, cilantro, and onions. One variant includes Lizano sauce.
  • Guanacaste: with a more fatty and roasted gallo pinto; made with red beans.

Nicaragua

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In Nicaragua, gallo pinto is traditionally prepared with red silk beans and onions, usually cooked in vegetable oil, although animal fats are occasionally used. It serves as a staple in Nicaraguan cuisine and is eaten at any time of the day. It is commonly sold in "fritangas" (food stalls), where it is served as a companion to various dishes.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Gallo Pinto Recipe". www.nicaraguafood.org. Archived from the original on 2010-06-20.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Costa Rica vs Nicaragua: Who Really Invented Gallo Pinto?". 7 November 2017.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Gallo Pinto, Costa Rica's National Dish - Latin America Travel Company". 27 April 2017.
  4. ^ Royal Spanish Academy y Association of Academies of the Spanish Language (2014). «gallopinto». Diccionario de la lengua española (23.ª edición). Madrid: Spain. ISBN 978-84-670-4189-7. Consulted October 19, 2018.
  5. ^ Preston-Werner, Theresa (2020-07-10). "Gallo Pinto: Tradition, Memory, and Identity in Costa Rican Foodways". Journal of American Folklore. 122.
  6. ^ a b c Jiménez, Patricia Vega (2025-04-29). "El Gallo Pinto Afro-Caribbean Rice and Beans Conquer the Costa Rican National Cuisine". doi:10.2752/175174412X13233545145228.
  7. ^ a b c "Gallo Pinto: The Rice-and-Bean Combo Integral to a Costa Rican Breakfast". 4 October 2023.
  8. ^ "Creoles in Nicaragua". Retrieved 2024-12-13.
  9. ^ "Jamaica in Nicaragua". 2017-12-03. Retrieved 2024-12-13.
  10. ^ Jackie Ranston (1999–2001). Jewish Historical Studies:The Lindo Legacy. p. 174-176. JSTOR 29780019.
  11. ^ Murchie, Anita Gregorio (1981). Imported Spices: A Study of Anglo-American Settlers in Costa Rica, 1821-1900. Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, Department of Publications.
  12. ^ Bates, Albert; Draper, Kathleen (February 2019). Burn: Using Fire to Cool the Earth. Chelsea Green Publishing. ISBN 978-1-60358-783-9.
  13. ^ Hidalgo, Manuel Benito Chacón; Flores, Elisa Carazo de (2006). Boletos de café de Costa Rica (in Spanish). Fundación Museos del Banco Central de Costa Rica. ISBN 978-9968-9607-6-2.
  14. ^ "The Heart of Costa Rica's Afro-Caribbean Heritage Lives in Jamaica Town". 2023-12-29. Retrieved 2024-12-13.
  15. ^ "Jamaica in Nicaragua". 2017-12-03. Retrieved 2024-12-13.
  16. ^ "Creoles in Nicaragua". Retrieved 2024-12-13.
  17. ^ Marjorie, Ross (2001). Entre el comal y la olla: fundamentos de gastronomía costarricense (in Spanish). Editorial Universidad Estatal a Distancia. pp. 62–64. ISBN 9968-31-128-6.
  18. ^ Jackie Ranston (1999–2001). Jewish Historical Studies:The Lindo Legacy. p. 174-176. JSTOR 29780019.
  19. ^ Murchie, Anita Gregorio (1981). Imported Spices: A Study of Anglo-American Settlers in Costa Rica, 1821-1900. Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, Department of Publications.
  20. ^ Bates, Albert; Draper, Kathleen (February 2019). Burn: Using Fire to Cool the Earth. Chelsea Green Publishing. ISBN 978-1-60358-783-9.
  21. ^ Hidalgo, Manuel Benito Chacón; Flores, Elisa Carazo de (2006). Boletos de café de Costa Rica (in Spanish). Fundación Museos del Banco Central de Costa Rica. ISBN 978-9968-9607-6-2.
  22. ^ "Costa Rica Virtual Jewish History Tour". Retrieved 2024-12-13.
  23. ^ "The Heart of Costa Rica's Afro-Caribbean Heritage Lives in Jamaica Town". 2023-12-29. Retrieved 2024-12-13.
  24. ^ "Jamaica in Nicaragua". 2017-12-03. Retrieved 2024-12-13.
  25. ^ "Creoles in Nicaragua". Retrieved 2024-12-13.
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