Credit: Wikimedia Commons.
Certain dishes remind us of home. Whether it’s because of the way it’s made, or the ingredients that you can only find in certain areas, there is something special about it.
Such is the case for the dish Gallo Pinto, roughly translated to mean “speckled rooster,” a mixture of beans, rice, salsa, and vegetables. Gallo Pinto is a hearty plate that can either be on the side of something or the main course.
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The diatribe on the origin of the Gallo Pinto
What makes the story of this nourishing meal so interesting is not the ingredients. Instead, it is the somewhat controversial fight on its roots between Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
In the realm of national dishes, it is safe to say that Nicaragua and Costa Rica have “beef” over the recipe, as both countries have laid their claim to its fame.
While Costa Rica has maintained that the dish originated there in the early 1900s, Nicaragua claims the Gallo Pinto came to their shores long before by way of enslaved people forced there from Africa.
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With neither able to prove it, the countries have gone back and forth in an epic battle to see who could make the most Gallo Pinto.
Between 2003 and 2009, the two volleyed back and forth, making larger and larger pots of Gallo Pinto. By the time all was said and done, thousands of people were fed between the two.
While the origin of where it came from is unclear, a proven fact is that you can never go wrong with a plate of Gallo Pinto in front of you.
Ingredients and methods may vary depending on who you ask, but for a foundational recipe, click here and make your own today!
