{{Short description|Jamaican dish}} {{Infobox prepared food | name = Stew peas | image = Jamaican stew peas.jpg | image_size = 300px | caption = ''Jamaican stew peas served with white rice'' | alternate_name = | country = Jamaica | region = Caribbean | creator = | course = Main dish | type = | served = Hot | main_ingredient = Kidney beans, cured meats, herbs/spices and coconut milk. }}
'''Stew peas''' is a Jamaican stew made with beans, salted meat, coconut milk, herbs and spices. It is a common dish in Jamaica, however a number of variations and similar dishes are made throughout the Americas. With the main ingredients being legumes (beans/peas) and meats, stew peas is a good source of protein.<ref name=":Nelson"/> ==History== Stew peas originated in Jamaica, and is a Caribbean Creole dish created from a blend of cooking techniques and ingredients, influenced by various ethnic groups that exist in the region.
The first European arrivals to the Americas, the Spanish, introduced pigs, cattle and other livestock to Jamaica and the rest of the New World.<ref name=":colex"/><ref>{{cite encyclopedia|editor-last=Francis |editor-first=John Michael|editor1-link=J. Michael Francis|encyclopedia=Iberia and the Americas: Culture, Politics, and History: a Multidisciplinary Encyclopedia |title=Columbian Exchange—Livestock |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OMNoS-g1h8cC&pg=PA303|year=2006 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-85109-421-9|pages=303–308}}</ref><ref name=":ja55"/> Meats were primarily cured using the traditional Spanish method of salting/drying, and the Taíno method of smoking over a barbacoa, using pimento wood and berries for flavour and preservation.<ref name="jis bk">{{cite web|title=Traditional Food Preparation in Jamaica: Tools & Methods|year=2014 |url=https://jis.gov.jm/media/JA-Traditional-Utensils07-08-14.pdf|website= Jamaica Information Service (JIS)|access-date=2025-01-03}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Fernández Méndez |first=Eugenio|title=Arte y mitología de los indios taínos de las Antillas Mayores|publisher= Ediciones CEMI, San Juan, P.R. |year=1979}}</ref> Many Jamaican dishes which include peas or beans, cured meats (salted pork, pickled pigtail and salted beef), and stews like ''brown stew'' and stew peas, were contributed by them.<ref name=":ja55"/> Other ingredients including herbs and spices like onion, garlic and thyme were also introduced by the Spanish.<ref name=":colex"/>
Kidney beans which are typically used in Jamaican stew peas, originated in Peru around 8,000 B.C.,<ref>{{cite journal | doi = 10.1073/pnas.1108973109 | volume=109 | title=Mesoamerican origin of the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is revealed by sequence data | year=2012 | journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences | pages=E788–E796 | issue=14 | pmid=22393017 | pmc=3325731 | doi-access=free | last1=Bitocchi | first1=Elena | last2=Nanni | first2=Laura | last3=Bellucci | first3=Elisa | last4=Rossi | first4=Monica | last5=Giardini | first5=Alessandro | last6=Zeuli | first6=Pierluigi Spagnoletti | last7=Logozzo | first7=Giuseppina | last8=Stougaard | first8=Jens | last9=McClean | first9=Phillip | last10=Attene | first10=Giovanna | last11=Papa | first11=Roberto}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.camelliabrand.com/about-the-bean/about-red-kidney-beans/#:~:text=Red%20kidney%20beans%20are%20thought,the%20Indians%20of%20the%20Americas.| title=The Red Kidney Bean Story| date=28 August 2012|access-date=2024-12-10}}</ref> and cultivars were dispersed throughout the Americas by Indigenous Amerindian tribes,<ref>{{cite book|last1=Pearman |first1=Georgina|title=The Cultural History of Plants |date=2005 |publisher=Routledge|isbn=0-415-92746-3 |editor1-last=Prance|editor1-first=Ghillean |pages=143–144 |editor2-last=Nesbitt |editor2-first=Mark}}</ref> like the Arawaks— then later the Spanish and Portuguese, who introduced them to other regions through the Columbian Exchange.<ref name=":colex"/><ref>{{cite web|title= Dark Red Kidney Beans |url=https://www.andesharvest.com/dark-red-kidney-beans}}</ref> Also, the Arawaks cultivated pimento and peppers including Scotch bonnet and cayenne pepper,<ref>{{Cite web|date=2017-08-16 |title= Jamaica: The Scotch bonnet's journey from the Orinoco River Valley to the jerk pit by Bill Esparza| url=https://explorepartsunknown.com/jamaica/the-scotch-bonnets-journey-from-the-orinoco-river-valley-to-the-jerk-pit/|access-date=2024-11-15|language=en}}</ref> which they cooked with.
During slavery and indentureship, the Africans also influenced the dish by blending bold flavours and occasionally using pigeon and cow peas. Pigeon peas (also known as ''Congo or Angola peas''), which originated in India and were domesticated there 3500 years ago,<ref name="gungo"/> were also introduced by the Spanish and Portuguese, from Africa.<ref name="gungo"/><ref>{{cite web|title=Pigeon peas|url=https://www.doc-developpement-durable.org/file/Culture/Culture-plantes-alimentaires/FICHES_PLANTES/Pois-d_Angole/Pigeon-pea.pdf|access-date= December 11, 2024}}</ref> The use of scallion was influenced by Chinese indentured labourers, but was introduced to the island by the indentured East Indians.<ref name=":ja55"/>
Stew peas has been a staple dish in Jamaica since at least the 1940s, and recipes for it began to appear in cookbooks in the 1970s.<ref name="Wilk Barbosa 2013"/> The dish is prepared in various unique ways by Jamaicans, and is a staple in Jamaican homes and restaurants due to its popularity.<ref name="Jamaica Gleaner 2011"/><ref name="Jamaica Star 2017"/> In September 1992, the Jamaican newspaper, ''The Gleaner'', declared stew peas with rice as ''"the best dish made in Jamaica''" (in its Home, Living and Food Guide).<ref name="Wilk Barbosa 2013"/>
==Preparation== Jamaican stew peas is prepared using kidney beans (''red peas'') and other similar cultivars like ''round red'', or pigeon peas (also called ''gungo peas''), coconut milk and meats, especially beef chuck, salted meats such as pork and beef.<ref name="Bigley 2014 p. 51"/><ref name="Wilk Barbosa 2013 p. 186"/><ref name="DeMers 1997 p. 138"/> Pigtail is often included, and sometimes chicken is used instead of pork or beef. Additional ingredients include onion, garlic, escallion, Scotch bonnet, herbs and spices.<ref name="Wilk Barbosa 2013 p. 186"/><ref name="com 2008 p. 151"/><ref name="Permenter Bigley 1999"/> In addition to being a main ingredient, the beans serve to thicken the stew.<ref name="Jamaica Gleaner 2011" /> Pinto beans and other similar varieties are more commonly used in the Spanish-speaking Caribbean and Latin America.<ref name=":Nelson" /> Canned beans can be used to prepare stew peas, and it may be cooked in a pressure cooker.<ref name=":Nelson"/> The dish may be prepared without meat<ref name="Jamaica Gleaner 2011"/>, referred to as ''ital stew peas''. In Jamaica, stew peas often includes slender flour dumplings known as ''"spinners"''.<ref name="Wilk Barbosa 2013"/><ref name="DeMers 1997 p. 138"/> The dish is usually served atop white rice or with a side dish of rice.<ref name="Jamaica Gleaner 2011"/><ref name="com 2008 p. 151"/> The stew serves to moisten and complement the separately-prepared rice.<ref name="Wilk Barbosa 2013"/>
==Variations and similar dishes== Stew peas variations are made in other parts of the Caribbean, and there are many similar dishes across the Americas.<ref name="Wilk Barbosa 2013"/> Dishes made with beans and rice or bean stews are staples in Latin cuisine. While some dishes are distinctly Latin in origins, with shared regional history, as well as, Anglo/Afro-Antillean migration in contingents, from Jamaica and some Caribbean islands to coastal Central America (between the 17th and 20th centuries), some dishes bear similarities to Antillean variations. [[File:Feijoada à brasileira -02.jpg|thumb|''Feijoada'' made in Brazil]]
*Brazilian ''feijoada'' ''(bean stew)'' and ''arroz e feijão (rice and beans)''
*San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina ''frijoles con rabo de cerdo (beans with pigtail)''— adopted from Jamaican descendants.
*Haitian ''sòs pwa'' ''(peas sauce)'' [[File:Moros y cristianos, gastronomia cubana.jpg|thumb|''Frijoles negros con arroz blanco'' (black beans with white rice) made in Cuba ]] *Cuban ''frijoles negros (black beans)''
*Dominican ''habichuelas guisadas (stewed beans)'' [[File:Sancho Panza Restaurant in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico.jpg|thumb|Puerto Rico's ''arroz con habichuelas guisadas'' (rice with stewed red beans)]] *Puerto Rican ''arroz con habichuelas guisadas'' ''(rice with stewed beans)'' and ''frijoles negros'' (black beans)
*French Caribbean ''dombrés aux haricots rouges'' ''(shaded with red beans)'' and ''pois d’Angole'' ''(Angola peas / pigeon peas)''
*Venezuelan ''pabellón criollo'' ''(Creole pavilion)''
*Lesser Antillean ''stewed pigeon peas''
*Costa Rican '' casado (rice with red / black beans)''
*Honduran ''frijoles parados (''"standing up beans" or red bean stew)
*Guatemalan, Colombian and Cuban et al ''frijoles colorados'' and ''frijoles rojos (coloured beans and red beans)''
*Colombian ''frijolada'' ''(bean stew with cured meats)''
*Panamanian ''frijoles guisados (stewed beans)''
*Chilean ''arroz con porotos'' ''(rice with beans)''
*Guyanese ''black-eyed peas stew''
*Surinamese ''bruine bonen met rijst'' ''(brown beans with rice)''
*Mexican ''stewed beans (various)'' and ''frijoles de la olla (beans from the pot)'' [[File:Red Beans and Rice.jpg|thumb| ''Red beans and rice'' made in Louisiana]] *Louisiana Creole ''red beans and rice''— influenced by Haitians who fled to New Orleans.
<gallery> File:Ropa vieja, arroz y plátano macho.jpg| ''Rice and frijoles guisados (stewed beans)'' accompanied with ropa vieja and plantain, made in Panama File:Pabellón criollo, plato típico de venezuela.jpg|''Pabellón criollo'' made in Venezuela (similar to Cuban ropa vieja and ''frijoles negros'') File:Frijoles Negros, 26 Nov 2020.jpg| ''Frijoles negros'' made in Puerto Rico File:Bandeja paisa antioqueña, Colombia.jpg| Colombia's national dish with ''frijoles rojos (red beans)'', served with rice and other accompaniments File:Mesa con pastel azteca, fideo seco arroz y platanitos fritos y para acompañar frijoles 02.jpg|Mexican ''frijoles'' with other accompaniments File:091011 frijoles colorados-con anacates.JPG| Guatemalan ''frijoles colorados'' with rice </gallery>
==See also== {{portal|Food|Jamaica}} * Jamaican cuisine * List of Jamaican dishes and foods * Red peas soup * Rice and peas * Run down
==References== {{reflist|1=30em|refs= <ref name="Bigley 2014 p. 51">{{cite book | last=Bigley | first=J. | title=Kingston, Negril and Jamaica's South Coast | publisher=Hunter Publishing, Incorporated | series=Hunter Travel | year=2014 | isbn=978-1-58843-789-1 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lz-CeNxYxTsC&pg=PT51 | access-date=May 30, 2017 | page=51}}</ref> <ref name="Wilk Barbosa 2013 p. 186">{{cite book | last1=Wilk | first1=R. | last2=Barbosa | first2=L. | title=Rice and Beans: A Unique Dish in a Hundred Places | publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing | year=2013 | isbn=978-1-84788-905-8 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=__id65WNktsC&pg=PT186 | access-date=May 30, 2017 | page=186}}</ref> <ref name="com 2008 p. 151">{{cite book | last=com | first=Getjamaica. | title=Jamaican Cooking Made Easy | publisher=iUniverse | issue=v. 1 | year=2008 | isbn=978-0-595-47957-3 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q5e2fog12HwC&pg=PA151 | access-date=May 30, 2017 | page=151}}</ref> <ref name="Permenter Bigley 1999">{{cite book | last1=Permenter | first1=P. | last2=Bigley | first2=J. | title=A Taste of Jamaica: Where to Find the Very Best Jamaican Food | publisher=Hunter Publishing, Incorporated | series=Hunter Travel Guides | year=1999 | isbn=978-1-55650-833-2 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oVIneYYcvpAC&pg=PA257 | access-date=May 30, 2017 | page=257}}</ref> <ref name="DeMers 1997 p. 138">{{cite book | last=DeMers | first=J. | title=Caribbean Cooking | publisher=HPBooks | year=1997 | isbn=978-1-55788-271-4 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h229TouniGIC&pg=PA138 | access-date=May 30, 2017 | page=138}}</ref> <ref name="Jamaica Gleaner 2011">{{cite web | title=Stew peas | website=Jamaica Gleaner | date=February 17, 2011 | url=http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20110217/cook/cook2.html | access-date=May 30, 2017}}</ref> <ref name="Jamaica Star 2017">{{cite web | title=Lifestyle & Food: Tasty stew peas | website=Jamaica Star | date=February 6, 2017 | url=http://jamaica-star.com/article/lifestyle/20170206/lifestyle-food-tasty-stew-peas | access-date=May 30, 2017}}</ref> <ref name="Wilk Barbosa 2013">{{cite book | last1=Wilk | first1=R. | last2=Barbosa | first2=L. | title=Rice and Beans: A Unique Dish in a Hundred Places | publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing | year=2013 | isbn=978-1-84788-905-8 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=__id65WNktsC&pg=PT69 | access-date=May 30, 2017 | pages=pt69–70}}</ref> <ref name=":Nelson">{{cite web| date=2013-11-14|title= In good taste...A vegetarian's delight: Stew-peas|url=https://www.stabroeknews.com/2014/11/23/features/good-taste-vegetarians-delight-stew-peas/|website= Stabroek News}}</ref> <ref name=":colex">{{cite web |last=Crosby |first=Alfred W.|title=The Columbian Exchange: Plants, Animals, and Disease between the Old and New Worlds |publisher=National Humanities Center |date=December 2001 |url=https://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/tserve/nattrans/ntecoindian/essays/columbianb.htm}}</ref> <ref name=":ja55">{{cite web|title= Culinary Heritage:Our Rich Food Heritage |url=https://jamaica55.gov.jm/culinary/culinary-heritage/|website=Jamaica55.gov.jm|date=7 June 2017 }}</ref> <ref name="gungo">{{cite journal |title= Pigeon Pea (Cajanus cajan)|author=Patricia Henderson|url=https://colostate.pressbooks.pub/understudiedindigenouscrops/chapter/pigeon-pea/|website= Colorado State University=December 11, 2024|date=29 October 2023}}</ref> }}
==External links==
{{Legume dishes|state=collapsed}} {{Soups}}
Category:Jamaican stews Category:Bean soups Category:Foods containing coconut Category:Meat dishes