flipMoros y Cristianos (Black Beans and Rice)
Moros y Cristianos (Black Beans and Rice)
Why this dish? Rice and black beans were the daily fare of the Cuban guerrilla in the Sierra Maestra: nourishing, portable, made from what was available. This is literally the dish that kept the barbudos standing during the revolution.
Rice cooked with black beans and their cooking juice tinted with a sofrito of garlic, onion, and cumin. The rice takes on the dark color of the beans — hence the vivid name "Moors and Christians." Comforting, earthy, deeply umami.
Compañero, this is what won us the war, and that's no joke. The frijoles negros, you simmer them a long time with a bay leaf until the juice turns black and thick. A sofrito — garlic, onion, a little comino — and you throw the rice in there so it drinks up all that flavor. In the Sierra, we shared the pot among ten, and anyone who took more than the others got a hard look. Eat, it's worth all the banquets of the bourgeoisie.
- •Dried black beans — one measure (protein and color)
- •Rice — same volume as cooked beans (starch base)
- •Garlic and onion — whatever is available (sofrito)
- •Cumin and bay leaf — a pinch, one leaf (flavor)
- •Lard or oil — a drizzle (fat)
Moros y Cristianos (Black Beans and Rice)
Rice cooked with black beans and their cooking juice tinted with a sofrito of garlic, onion, and cumin. The rice takes on the dark color of the beans — hence the vivid name "Moors and Christians." Comforting, earthy, deeply umami.
Why this dish? Rice and black beans were the daily fare of the Cuban guerrilla in the Sierra Maestra: nourishing, portable, made from what was available. This is literally the dish that kept the barbudos standing during the revolution.
Compañero, this is what won us the war, and that's no joke. The frijoles negros, you simmer them a long time with a bay leaf until the juice turns black and thick. A sofrito — garlic, onion, a little comino — and you throw the rice in there so it drinks up all that flavor. In the Sierra, we shared the pot among ten, and anyone who took more than the others got a hard look. Eat, it's worth all the banquets of the bourgeoisie.
Ingredients (period version)
- Dried black beans — one measure (protein and color)
- Rice — same volume as cooked beans (starch base)
- Garlic and onion — whatever is available (sofrito)
- Cumin and bay leaf — a pinch, one leaf (flavor)
- Lard or oil — a drizzle (fat)
Ingredients
- Black beans — 250 g dried (or 2 drained cans) (base)
- Long-grain rice — 300 g (starch)
- Onion — 1 large (sofrito)
- Garlic — 4 cloves (sofrito)
- Ground cumin — 1 tsp (signature spice)
- Bay leaf — 1 leaf (flavor)
- Olive oil — 3 tbsp (cooking)
- Salt — to taste (seasoning)
Method
- If using dried beans: soak overnight, cook with bay leaf until tender, keeping the darkened cooking water.
- Prepare the sofrito: sauté chopped onion and garlic in oil, add cumin.
- Add the beans and a little of their juice to the sofrito, season with salt.
- Add the raw rice and bean cooking water (about 1.5 volumes per volume of rice).
- Cover and cook over low heat 18-20 min until absorbed, let rest 5 min, fluff with a fork.
How it was made : An Afro-Caribbean dish born from the fusion of Spanish cuisine and African contributions in Cuba. Cheap and complete in amino acids (cereal + legume), it was the food of the countryside and of fighters. It was cooked in a single pot over a wood fire.
The contemporary twist : Serve mounded in a dome with a sprinkle of fresh cilantro and a drizzle of garlic oil — and call it "Sierra Ration" on the menu.
Che Guevara · Charactorium