Cuban Black Bean Soup

Originally from the island Caribbean nation of the Republic of Cuba, Cuban black bean soup, or sopa de frijoles negros, is similar to other typical dishes of the region: congrí (rice and black beans) and moros y cristianos (rice and kidney beans). The soup is frequently eaten as a merienda, or a light meal, between breakfast and lunch. Although the preparation varies, the dish begins with the sofrito, or base flavors: ingredients that are cut into small pieces and fried in lard. Sofrito includes onion, garlic, green peppers, bay leaf, and salt, and it sometimes contains ham, cumin, ground pepper, oregano, tomato, and cilantro. Often the soup is made with leftover beans from the previous day’s meal, which are added to the sofrito and, once combined, mixed with sugar and vinegar (or sherry). Many cooks advise removing and then blending a small amount of beans, for thickness, before serving the soup over rice. Like most Cuban food, the soup is a natavized dish, fusing ingredients and cooking styles from the native Taìno-Arawack Indians, Spanish settlers, French colonists, Asian immigrants, and African slaves. Native Indians grew black beans, while Spanish settlers, and later both Africans and Asians, introduced rice. Ham’s continued presence in the dish may be attributed to a combination of factors: the Spanish, who introduced domesticated animals; African slaves, who raised piglets on their conucos, or provision plots; and Asian immigrants, whose cuisine customarily features pork. Also, because pigs can efficiently convert table scraps to protein, and beans and rice are versatile, durable, and filling staple crops, Cuban black bean soup became an ideal dish for difficult times such as the political unrest caused by emancipation, colonialism, and revolution.