History of Gallo Pinto from Costa Rica

History

Gallo Pinto is a dish that originates from Central America, specifically Costa Rica and Nicaragua. It consists of rice, black beans, onions, bell peppers, and garlic, but there are many different versions and recipes as each region and family has their own version. In Nicaragua, beans are almost always red beans, and in Costa Rica, they're said to use the "secret ingredient" Salsa Lizano. The name translates to "Spotted Rooster", as when the beans and rice are combined, the result is a speckled like appearance.  

Gallo Pinto is believed to stem off of mezitos, which was a combination of beans, cultivated by the Indigenous people from pre-Columbian time, rice, and grains introduced from the Spanish. 

There is some controversy on the origin of Gallo Pinto. Some argue that it comes from Costa Rica or Nicaragua, although similar dishes have existed in Europe and America for centuries. Costa Rica claims that in the 1930's, the dish was created in San Jose while Nicaragua argues that the dish was brought to the Caribbean shores by African slaves before it had reached Costa Rica. 

In an attempt to claim the dish as their own, Costa Rica cooked 965 pounds of Gallo Pinto and were featured in the Guinness World Records book for the most amount of Gallo Pinto cooked in one go.

Recipe

Prep Time: 10 min Cook Time: 20 min Total Time: 30 min

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cups cooked black beans
• 1/4 cup Salsa Lizano
• 3 cups cooked rice
• 1/4 cup cilantro

Instructions

1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat until shimmering.
2. Saute chopped peppers and onions until soft and onions are translucent, about 6 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute.
3.  Add black beans and Salsa Lizano, stir to combine. Simmer until thickened. Gently stir in rice and cook for about 3 minutes, then stir in cilantro. 
4. Serve. 

Analysis

When I went to Costa Rica, Gallo Pinto was a staple of what we ate. Even though I didn't like beans at the time, black beans grew on me and now I really enjoy them.

Gallo Pinto is typically a breakfast meal, but it's often eaten all day. I found that I preferred the buttered rice and black beans for breakfast other than the Gallo Pinto served later in the day.