Red Beans & Rice

Being a farmer I am surrounded by good food. Knowing the history of where some of my favorite foods come from is also important to me. It helps me better understand a communities culture. Food can expose you to a communities struggles; it can show you how they celebrate. Besides loving food,  I love traveling. When I travel I like to immerse myself in the culture. An important part of this is eating local cuisine.

This week I took a trip to New Orleans, Louisiana. Whenever I go to NOLA I always head straight to the French Quarter to get some red beans and rice. Red beans and rice are delicious. They are red beans that have been slowly cooked with the trinity, andouille sausage, big pieces of pork, and some thyme. The red beans get serves over white rice and I always put some hot sauce on mine. The trinity is made up of onions, bell peppers, and celery. It's called the trinity because New Orleans is a very Catholic town. When you eat to learn about a culture you see that food and religion are often tied together.

Red beans and rice aren't just tasty they represent New Orleans. Red beans came to New Orleans from Haiti. People enslaved in Haiti fought back against sugar plantation owners. Some plantations owners fled to New Orleans taking red beans with them. New Orleans is a melting pot of cultures. Eventually the red beans got mixed with other cultures to create a VERY New Orleans dish. If you would like to try it for yourself I have attached a wonderful recipe.

http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/red-beans-and-rice