Platillo Moros y Cristianos

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Platillo Moros y Cristianos (or simply moros or moro) is the national dish of Cuba, their version of the rice and beans combination found throughout the Caribbean and in Brazil. It is also found in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, and expatriate communities of each of these cultures.

1 Name
2 Preparation
3 References
4 See also

[edit] Name

The "Moors" refer to the black beans, and "Christians" to the white rice - a reference to the early settlers of Cuba for whom the Reconquista of Spain was a recent memory.

[edit] Preparation

There are various ways to make the dish, which not only include using beans (red or black) but also pigeon peas, in which case they it is called moro de guandules (in the Dominican Republic).

One method is cooking black beans in a good amount of water, and then cooking the rice in some of the water (soup) of the beans in another dish. The rice may also be cooked separately with beans simply served alongside or on top of the rice. Onions, garlic, bell pepper, oregano and bay (laurel) leaf are common flavorings for this dish.