Rice and beans is a dish known in many countries of America and Africa, but in Cuba, besides serving them separately, they also cook this dish combining them to create a gastronomic jewel, enjoyed by travelers from all corners of the world and by several generations of Cubans who intelligently blend two plant-based ingredients.
A delicious cuisine
From Caribbean cuisine, the large pot slowly boiling under the hot sun for nearly five centuries, Cubans share this traditional method of cooking rice and beans, using one legume or the other, with different neighboring peoples. This dish is found not only in Haiti but also in Puerto Rico, Santo Domingo, the Bahamas, and other Caribbean and Central American islands.
In Cuba, there are slight differences regarding spices, which is a logical result of transculturation. Don Fernando Ortiz describes the casserole as possibly, but not definitely, of African origin, in his essay on Afro-Cuban cuisine, first published in the Cuban Bimestre magazine in 1923.
But he is not mistaken; "Congee" is not the same as "Moros y Cristianos," where rice is mixed with black beans, which also seems to be an African-origin dish. 'Congee' is mainly eaten in the eastern part of the country, while 'Moros' are more popular in the western archipelago.
The delicious rice
Regarding this interesting clarification about the origin of the custom of cooking rice and beans together, we can add that normally, when preparing this dish, if the beans are soft and freshly harvested, pre-cooking is not necessary.
And an unbreakable rule is that in "Congee" or "Moros y Cristianos", the rice grains should be separate and not clumped or in broth. Of course, this dish can be found throughout Cuba, but for some reason it is known as an eastern creation, perhaps due to the pieces of pork or more accurately, pork cracklings.
While it differs in many countries from Christmas Eve or New Year's dinner, in Cuba, it is not easy to part with the traditional diet to include these dishes during the Christmas festivities. These reasons, whether related to identity or habits, are attributed to the strong bonds of its origins—an African and Iberian blend—that quickly took on a Creole flavor.
Yolanda Horruitiner, who has lived in Cuba for 70 years, offers this simple version of congee without pork or cumin, which are basic ingredients in some variations.
She feels free to add either of these to the sofrito base. This recipe uses a stove to cook both rice and beans, although the dish can be prepared more quickly using a pressure cooker and a rice cooker, making the sofrito in a separate skillet, then mixing it with the rice before everything is fully cooked.
