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Platillo Moros y Cristiano, roughly translated as Moors and Christians dish - a poetic name referring to history, is the national dish of Cuba, a hearty combination of fluffy white rice and seasoned black beans, cooked together in the same pot.
Moros y Cristiano is originally Spanish, and it spread to Cuba with its strong Spanish, Caribbean, and North African influences. White rice represents the Spanish Christians, while black beans are supposed to be the Muslim Moors, remembering a long period of wars between the two, known as Reconquista, and celebrating how both groups came to reconciliation in the Iberian Peninsula.
MOST ICONIC Platillo moros y cristiano
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Arroz con huevo is a popular lazy lunch throughout Latin America, consisting of rice that’s topped with a fried egg. This humble dish used to be called comida de pobre (poor people food), but today it is enjoyed by people of all socio-economic classes.
The dish has numerous variations, so in the Caribbean it is commonly accompanied by plantains, while the Spaniards pair it with a savory sofrito. It is recommended to top arroz con huevo with some freshly grated cheese and finely chopped parsley.
Arroz con maiz is a flavorful rice dish popular throughout Latin America. At its most basic, the dish consists of rice cooked together with corn, usually in the same cooking vessel. However, there are a few variations on the dish, especially in Cuba, Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico.
The Cuban version uses ingredients such as chorizo, white wine, and chicken stock, while the rice is seasoned with annatto seeds and cumin.
Although arroz imperial is often served as a side dish in Cuba, it is hearty enough to be served as a main dish, on its own, a fact that can be proven just by looking at the extremely long list of ingredients used to make it: chicken pieces, bacon, onions, green peppers, garlic, tomato sauce, lime juice, dry sherry, peas, rice, chicken broth, mayonnaise, and grated cheese.
When all the components have been prepared, they are assembled and layered like a casserole, then topped with cheese and baked until the top is slightly browned. The origins of arroz imperial are somewhat murky, as it is still unclear when and where it originated in Cuba.
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