What is Arroz Con pollo?
Arroz con pollo, when it is translated from Spanish into English, means rice with chicken. It is popular in many Caribbean and Latin American countries, especially in Costa Rica, Honduras, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, along with Colombia, Cuba, Peru and Panama. Although most of these countries claim that food was created with their ancestors, its roots are most often monitored back to Spain. They usually include chicken, rice, beer, chicken or vegetable stock, saffron and sofrito, along with Bay Leaf, cumin and coriander to add spicy to the bowl. Sofrito is a common Spanish terminal food, a mixture of garlic, sweet and hot peppers and onions roasted in olive oil. In some recipes, saffron is replaced by pepper or annatto seeds that come from the Achiota plant and pass on a slight pepper taste of food.
Historical Accounts of Arroz Con Pollo states that after Moors attacked Spain in 711, they migrated towards the Strait of Gibraltar, the coastal area in southern Spain,which facilitated the exchange of goods through local ports. Reportedly imported many exotic spices, including saffron, one of the distinguishing components in Arroz con pollo. This, together with the inclusion in the recipe of colored vegetables preferred Moors, further supports the theory that they have created the original bowl of Arro CON Polo.
The use of caraway and coriander in most Ingredients of Arroz Con Pollo also shows Moors as a probable bowl creator, because these spices were available to them before most other cultures. Maurish Custom also tilted strongly to a common dining style. Since this meal is traditionally served from a pot passing around the table, historians point to this ritual as supporting the assumption that Arroz con pollo came from Moors.
There are almost as many Arroz Con Pollo recipes as there are cultural groups that claim that the original meal is your ownand. Basic steps usually begin by heating saffron, anatto seeds or peppers in olive oil and then browning parts of the cut chicken. Most recipes recommend marinating chicken in Adobo, spicy marinade available on Latin markets, for 24 hours before cooking.
After the chicken is brown on all sides and the Annatto seeds are removed, if possible, the pelvis is added to the pelvis bay leaf and sofrito and mixed into the chicken parts. Arborio rice is added to the pan, along with beer and broth and the mixture is boiled until the liquid is absorbed by rice. Different recipes either recommend covering the pelvis or left during the last step.