What kind of dish is this?
This is a dish from the Dominican Republic where rice is cooked along with meat and seafood.
This dish has its roots in the Spanish paella.
It is usually made with chicken or pork, but can also be made with salami or sardines.
This time, I made it with sardines marinated in spicy tomato sauce.
Name
・Locrio ＝ Locro + Criollo
・Locro ＝ A South American stew made with potatoes, corn, beans, vegetables, and meat. It originates from the Andes.
・Criollo ＝ Descendants of Europeans born in the Americas. etc.
History
Islam, Spain, the indigenous Taino people, and Africa.
Locrio is a dish that is a mixture of all these cultures.
“Islam and Spain”
In 711, the Islamic Empire began to rule Spain. At this time, rice and saffron were brought to Spain.
As a result, paella, a dish of rice, saffron, and local ingredients cooked in Spanish olive oil, was born.
“Spain and Dominican Republic”
In 1492, Christopher Columbus landed in the Dominican Republic.
Four years later, his brother Bartholomew Columbus built Santo Domingo, the current capital of the Dominican Republic.
It was around this time that Spaniards began to settle in the country and made paella with ingredients available in the Dominican Republic.
“Indigenous People (Taíno) and Africa”
Before the Spanish arrived, the Dominican Republic was home to indigenous people (Taíno) who had migrated from South America and had roots in the Andes.
They had their roots in the Andes and ate a stew called Locro.
After Columbus landed, the Taino people were enslaved and many of them died of disease.
In order to make up for the lost labor, many people were brought from Africa to the Dominican Republic.
Thus, African culture was added to the mix.
The Muslims brought rice and other food to Spain, and as a result, paella was born.
As a result of the Spanish bringing paella to the Dominican Republic, the Taíno and African cultures were added, and the Dominican version of paella, Locrio, was born.
Until the 19th century, it was regarded as a dish for poor peasants, but due to its deliciousness and nutritional value, it is now regarded as one of the most representative dishes of Dominica.
※The exact history of this dish is unknown. The above is a guess.
Thoughts
When making sardine rocurio, the locals use a canned product called “pica pica”. However, I was not able to obtain it.
Also, rice is used which is less sticky.
So this time I made it with Portuguese canned rice and indica rice (Thai rice).
I made enough for four people, and it was so delicious that it was hard to control my appetite.
It had a faint spiciness and a slight sourness. The rice is not very sticky. The texture of burnt rice added to it…. It’s the best.
I’ve made it with Japanese rice before, but this time with indica rice, it was by far the most delicious.
※I used this recipe as a reference this time.
Recipe of Locrio
Ingredients
No.1
- 160 g canned sardine in hot tomato sauce
No.2
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 15 g garlic
- 3 bell peppers diced
- 1 celery diced
- 100 g cilantro
No.5
- 650 ml water depending on the type of rice and your preference
- 2 pinches salt
- 450 g rice I used Thai rice.
No.8
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Remove the sardines from the tomato sauce (canned) and set aside.
- Saute garlic, bell peppers, celery and cilantro in olive oil.Saute over low heat for about 2 minutes.
- Add half of the sardines.Mix well.
- Turn the heat to medium and add the tomato sauce.Mix well.
- Add water and salt to taste.Bring to a boil.Once boiling, add the rice.Stir periodically.
- When the liquid has evaporated, add the rest of the sardines.Mix well.
- Cover and cook over very low heat for 15 minutes.
- Add the olive oil.Mix the rice well from the bottom to the top.
- Cover with a lid and cook over very low heat for 5 minutes.Cook for a few more minutes if necessary.Finish.
Hey i was wondering where you got the history of locrio from?
Hi. I’m sorry it took me so long to reply.
I could not find the history of Locrio in English or in Spanish.
The article on Locrio includes my expectations.
First, I researched the culinary history of every country.
Next, I researched the relationship between each country and Dominican Republic.
Next, I added my predictions based on historical facts.
And that’s how I came up with this article.
Regards,