Talk:Rice and peas

Is it worth mentioning that this is often pronounced "Rice & Pea" in the singular rather than the plural "Peas"? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.149.82.243 (talk) 08:59, August 29, 2007 (UTC)

Merge with Rice and beans

This is the Jamaican name for the more general Rice and beans. Shouldn't this page be merged with that one? Please discuss on the Rice and beans discussion page Rojomoke (talk) 09:54, 8 September 2008 (UTC)

• I oppose the merge. - Boston (talk) 15:17, 14 October 2008 (UTC)
• I agree the merge with appropriate redirect 81.23.54.142 (talk) 04:52, 29 November 2009 (UTC)

Oppose. 'Rice and beans' is a more generic category then the specific, traditional Caribbean dish. To merge would be to fail to recognise the ingredients, methods and cultural distinctiveness of rice and peas. 86.160.228.56 (talk) 11:51, 31 March 2024 (UTC)

I oppose the merge. Rice and beans dishes (rice WITH beans SEPERATELY) are actually different from rice and peas dishes, whereby beans/peas and rice are cooked together. The confusion comes from some Latin places (for instance Guatemala) that came under British rule and experienced Antillean migration, adopting the English term "rice and beans". Rice and beans is akin to what Jamaicans call stewed peas. I tried to clarify the difference on the Rice and beans page but my edits were removed. They even removed the history I provided regarding variations of rice and peas on this page. By the way, I have a background in Caribbean Studies, History and Food & Nutrition, which is why I can expound on the distinction and history of both. Xaymacan (talk) 23:46, 16 December 2024 (UTC)

Trivia

I removed the trivia section rather than tagging it because there was only one entry:

"Peas and rice!" is also used as a euphemism to blasphemy in certain films, e.g. Hot Fuzz, when shown during times when children are expected to be viewers.

I am unconvinced of the wide-spread usage of the term "peas and rice" in this context and therefore it might be better placed on the Hot Fuzz page (if at all). If I am wrong please feel free to put it back leaving a short note of explanation here. --81.23.54.142 (talk) 05:01, 29 November 2009 (UTC)

Austria

This must be vandalism, right? TheOneOnTheLeft (talk) 07:01, 12 July 2012 (UTC)

Nowadays and traditionally are conflicting descriptions

'Nowadays, either kidney beans (red peas) or pigeon peas are being traditionally used'

This sentence doesn't make sense. It is either 'nowadays' or is 'traditionally'. As it happens it is traditionally. Kidney beans - 'peas' - or pigeon peas are, and have traditionally been, the ingredients of Caribbean 'rice and peas'.

Will correct. 86.160.228.56 (talk) 11:57, 31 March 2024 (UTC)

Distinction between beans and rice and peas and rice

Hi Xaymacan, you have informed me that the distinction between rice and beans vs rice and peas is that in one, the beans are cooked separately, and in the other, they are not. I don't see this explicitly in the article; can you provide a source for this? Seems like a good place to start with editing this article. Rollinginhisgrave (talk) 08:31, 17 December 2024 (UTC)

Sure! I will try to provide sources soon, though this may prove challenging. For clarity, the explanations are as follow:

To understand the difference between "rice and beans" and "rice and peas" dishes, one has to assess the variations, as well as, similarities and differences in recipes and methods of preparation. Also, by looking at the ingredients used in specific geographical locations, and pictures of the dishes, one can identify which variations fall under rice and peas. It should be noted that rice and peas is a one-pot meal, i.e. the main distinction, which can be made with either beans or peas cultivars (This is common knowledge). This includes Jamaican rice and peas (made with kidney beans/gungo peas) which bear similarities to Haitian diri ak pwa, ("rice and peas" in Haitian Kreyol), Guatemalan and Belizean rice and beans, Cuban moros y cristianos ("Moors & Christians" in Spanish), Gallo pinto ("spotted rooster" in Spanish) in Costa Rica, Panama and Nicaragua, Casamiento ("marriage" in Spanish) and other regional variations. The key thing that the aforementioned all have in common is that rice is combined/cooked with kidney beans or similar cultivars, and almost all of the recipes include coconut milk, which is an Antillean practice. Some of the names may not translate to "rice and peas/beans", but they describe the appearance of the dishes (e.g. gallo pinto and casamiento) or the dish's history (e.g. moros y cristianos).

Similarly, the versions with pigeon peas (gungo peas) are present in Haiti (diri ak pwa kongo= rice and congo peas), Panama (arroz con guandu= rice with gungo peas), Puerto Rico (arroz con gandules=rice with gungo peas) et al, which are almost identical in recipe and preparation to Jamaican rice and gungo peas, and are eaten during Christmas and/or special occasions. From the pictures, I have uploaded, 6 of which were taken by me in different countries, the similarities are evident. I also provided recipes for the Caribbean variations for comparison which may be referred to.

As for "rice and beans" dishes (with the exception of Belize, Guatemala and San Andres), they are akin to stew peas (Jamaica), feijoada (Brazil), arroz con habichuelas guisadas= rice with stewed peas in Spn (Puerto Rico and other Latin countries), sos pwa= peas sauce (in Haiti) and stewed pigeon peas (throughout the Lesser Antilles), casado= married (in Central America) et al. For clarity, Google pictures of these dishes to see that they are similar in appearance, ingredients and preparation. The key thing that they all have in common is that peas/beans are cooked separately and served with white rice .

As mentioned before the confusion comes from the term "rice and beans" and "rice with beans" being used interchangeably in English, but more so in Spanish to refer to dishes, whereby rice is cooked separately from beans/peas but served together as a meal. I also speak Spanish, therefore I understand how "rice and beans" is used interchangeably with the equivalents of "rice with beans" and "rice/moors of beans/peas". I have already provided historical context re. how rice and peas variations spread to Central America, i.e. via British and Anglo/Afro-Antillean migration during different periods between the 17th and 19th centuries. This is how the dish made it to Guatemala, where it is called "rice and beans" (in English, not Spanish), like in Belize. The retention of the English term in Spanish-speaking Guatemala, supports the fact that the dish was adopted from Anglo-Antilleans, who call the dish rice and peas (regardless if peas or beans are used). Though the aforementioned is a one-pot variation, "beans" refer to the use of 'kidney or pinto beans' rather than peas. Xaymacan (talk) 10:36, 17 December 2024 (UTC)

By the way, I did not explicitly elaborate on the distinction in my edits, since: 1) the page is about rice and peas; 2) I thought that it would be best to focus on the history and variations of rice and peas; and 3) there is a separate page for rice and beans, which is indicative of a distinction. I did attempt to make a distinction and clarify the difference on the rice and beans page, after which I started to experience the removal of content from the rice and peas page. This is why I contributed personal pictures to depict the similarities among the variations I wrote about, as well as, historical context. Xaymacan (talk) 11:01, 17 December 2024 (UTC)

Thankyou again for writing this up. To ensure these facts are verifiable (even though everything you're saying here is probably true), I'll respond here when you have the time and energy to find some sources. Rollinginhisgrave (talk) 02:12, 18 December 2024 (UTC)

I will, as soon as I get some time. I'll also create a list of dishes for both categories, so that editors can check on their own and make comparisons. Seeing the images and comparing them is important in identifying the distinction.

By the way, the attacker is back at it. Xaymacan (talk) 02:52, 18 December 2024 (UTC)