Gallo Pinto

Gallo pinto, also spelled gallopinto, is a traditional Central American dish of rice and beans, claimed as a national dish by both Costa Rica and Nicaragua, though its true origin is uncertain and disputed between the two countries; scholars generally trace the dish to Afro-Caribbean origins. The beans are cooked with garlic, oregano and onion and then combined with rice once the bean cooking liquid and the beans themselves are in roughly equal parts, with onions, peppers and other seasonings often added. It is served hot as a main dish or a side dish, and its name, meaning spotted rooster in Spanish, refers to the multicolored, speckled appearance the rice takes on from being cooked with black or red beans.