Rice and peas

Rice and peas or peas and rice is a traditional rice dish in some Caribbean and Latin American countries. Sometimes, the dish is made with pigeon peas, otherwise called gungo peas by Jamaicans. Kidney beans and other similar varieties are typically used in the Greater Antilles and coastal Latin America. Rice and peas recipes vary throughout the region, with each country having their own way(s) of making them and name(s)—with the two main ingredients being legumes (peas / beans) and rice, combined with herbs, spices and/or coconut milk. Rice and peas, a one-pot Creole dish that originated in the Caribbean during the colonial era, includes a mixture of ingredients, cooking techniques and spices influenced by various ethnic groups that exist in the region. The Spanish, the first European arrivals to the Americas, contributed many peas / bean dishes and rice dishes. They also introduced Asian rice to the Caribbean and Latin America, as well as, herbs and spices like garlic, thyme, onion, oregano etc. Kidney beans, another key ingredient, are thought to have originated in Peru around 8,000 B.C., and cultivars were dispersed throughout the Americas by indigenous Amerindian tribes by 500 B.C., then later the Spanish and Portuguese, who introduced them to other parts of the world. Similarly, the Amerindians cultivated pimento, and they spread Capsicum chinense cultivars throughout the region, including scotch bonnet and other peppers used in the dish.

Source: Wikipedia