Stew peas

Stew peas is a Jamaican stew dish prepared using coconut milk, gungo peas (pigeon peas) or red peas (kidney beans), uncured meats and salted meats such as pork and beef as primary ingredients.[1][2][3] Additional ingredients can include onion, garlic, mix vegetables, scallions, pig tail, herbs and spices.[2][4][5][6][7] In addition to being a main ingredient, the beans also serve to thicken the stew.[8] Pinto beans are more commonly used in the dish in Spanish-speaking areas of the Caribbean.[9] Canned beans can also be used to prepare stew peas, and the dish can be prepared using a pressure cooker.[9] It is sometimes prepared without the use of meat.[8]

In Jamaica, stew peas is often prepared using flour dumplings known as "spinners" in Jamaica.[3][10] Stew peas is commonly served atop rice or with a side dish of rice.[3][4][8] Rice is typically not included in the stew itself when it is cooked, and the stew serves to moisten and complement the separately-prepared rice.[10] Stew peas contains a considerable amount of protein.[9]

Stew peas is available in many areas of the Caribbean, is very popular in Jamaica, and has been described as a national dish of Jamaica.[3][9][10] The dish is prepared in various unique ways by Jamaicans, and has been described as a staple dish in Jamaican homes and restaurants.[8][11] 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.[10]

Stew peas has been a dish in Jamaica since at least the 1940s, and recipes for it began to appear in cookbooks in the 1970s.[10]

• List of bean soups
• List of Jamaican dishes and foods
• List of dishes made using coconut milk
• Oil down – a Grenadian stew prepared using coconut milk and salted meat
• Rice and peas – a common dish in the Caribbean
• Run down – a Jamaican stew prepared using reduced coconut milk and meats

• Jamaican Stew Peas and Rice Recipe. Cook Like a Jamaican.