Rice and peas

Basmati rice and peas
Course	Dinner
Region or state	Caribbean
Serving temperature	Hot
Main ingredients	Rice, beans
Media: Rice and peas

Rice and peas or peas and rice are traditional rice dishes within some Caribbean countries. The 'peas' used in this dish by some countries are traditionally pigeon peas otherwise called 'Gungo peas' in the Caribbean.^[1] Either kidney beans (red peas) or pigeon peas are generally used for this dish. Rice and peas recipes throughout the Caribbean vary, with each country having their own way of making it and name of calling it, and are similar only by the two main ingredients which are the legumes (peas/beans) used and rice to form a mixture. The name "rice and peas" originally is used by Jamaicans to identify the dish, while other countries have different names for it.

In 1961, Frederic G. Cassidy made note that the dish had been referred to as Jamaica's coat of arms.^[2]

Caribbean

Rice and peas is the mainstay of the cuisines of Jamaica, Anguilla, Bahamas, Trinidad, Barbados, Haiti and many other Caribbean islands. In most of Caribbean, the dish is called Rice and peas, while in the Bahamas, it is known as peas 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 the dish constitute of rice and legume, such as kidney beans, pigeon peas (known as gungo peas), etc.

Preparation

The traditional Jamaican method of cooking rice and peas consists of cooking long-grain rice in coconut milk and pigeon peas/kidney beans along with other ingredients like scallions, garlic, bell peppers and allspice.^[3] It is often served with accompaniments like curries and jerk chicken.