Cuban Black Beans

Cuba (Spanish colonial sofrito tradition with African bean cookery)

Frijoles negros — Cuban black beans — are the island's most culturally loaded preparation: black beans slow-cooked with a sofrito of green pepper, onion, garlic, cumin, and oregano, finished with a splash of dry sherry and a final 'refrito' of raw sofrito stirred in just before serving to provide a layer of fresh aromatics over the long-cooked depth. The beans must be cooked from dried — canned beans produce a thin, insubstantial sauce without the starchy cooking liquid that gives authentic frijoles negros their characteristic thick, syrup-like consistency. The finish of the dish is as important as the cook: a final spoonful of sofrito stirred through at the last moment brightens the dark, slow-cooked base.

• Shares the sofrito-cooked beans structure with Puerto Rican habichuelas guisadas and Brazilian feijão preto; the refrito technique of adding fresh aromatics to finished long-cooked beans mirrors the Italian aglio e olio technique of finishing pasta with raw garlic.

The canonical pairing is over white rice (Cuban black beans over white rice is called 'moros y cristianos' — Moors and Christians — when cooked together, or 'cristianos y moros' when served separately); fried plantains alongside provide the sweet counterpoint.