Pigeon peas, known in the Dominican Republic as guandules or gandul, are native to Africa and are known for their high iron content, which is why they are considered a protein-rich food. Like beans, they are mixed with rice to produce the Dominican dish known as moro de guandules. When prepared with coconut, the richness of flavors is even more appreciated.

Dominican cuisine as we enjoy it today is the result of historical and cultural processes. Rice has been a fundamental component of the cuisine since its arrival to our lands. It is important to remember that the first inhabitants did not consume this cereal, nor was it produced on the island. It was with the arrival of the colonizers that rice was introduced to the American continent, specifically to the Caribbean.

Chroniclers state that, with the arrival of the court of Viceroy María de Toledo, wife of Diego Colón, important changes took place in the island’s cooking. The ladies-in-waiting and cooks in her service came from southern Spain, a region that for 800 years was under Moorish rule, which helps explain the widespread consumption of this cereal.

Among the dishes they prepared were paella and rice with beans known as “Moros y Cristianos.” In this way, dishes such as locrio and moro, which Dominicans eat today, emerged. Various writings point out that some grains, such as pigeon peas, arrived in the Americas clandestinely, hidden in the braided hair of enslaved women. These braids served not only as a cultural code, but also as a way to transport seeds and grains.

José E. Marcano, in his essay Dominican Cuisine: Characteristics, Development, and Differentiation, states: “The appearance of the dish occurs between the 18th and 19th centuries, when Antillean Creole food begins to differentiate itself from the others that compose it. A typical case of this gastronomic identity is precisely the emergence of a dish called ‘Moros y Cristianos,’ which consists of rice cooked with a type of legume grain. The dish appears with variations in Caribbean countries.”

In the Dominican Republic, one of the main pigeon pea producing areas is the province of San Juan, with the municipality of El Cercado standing out as a community with a strong tradition of cultivating and consuming this dish as part of its diet. The province of San Juan is considered the breadbasket of the country’s southern region.