Latin America's rice and beans dishes provide more than deliciousness

"Rice and beans" sounds like the very definition of simplicity. But take a look across Latin America and the Caribbean, and you'll find it's a dish – or rather, dishes – as diverse as the region itself.

In Puerto Rico, you'll find arroz con gandules – rice with pigeon peas and flavored with peppery achiote oil. In Jamaica, "rice and peas" describes a dish often made with peppers and red kidney beans.

"It's more about the black beans with the rice in Cuba," said Dr. Sylvia Klinger, a registered dietitian nutritionist in Chicago. Cubans eat "moros y cristianos," or "Moors and Christians," a reference to battles from Medieval Spanish history. In Costa Rica, black beans are the basis for gallo pinto – what Klinger describes as "a very colorful" dish full of vegetables. The name, "spotted rooster," refers to the look of the mixed ingredients.

Many variations are referred to as the national dish of their home country. In the Dominican Republic, red beans, rice and meat are even called "La Bandera" – the flag.

"It's really fascinating" to see how it varies from country to country, Klinger said. She understands better than most: In addition to her academic credentials, she's a native of Puerto Rico who moved to Mexico as a girl with missionary parents who took the family across Central America, South America and the Caribbean.

The blending of ingredients reflects the blending of cultures. Beans have been cultivated in what is now Mexico and western South America for thousands of years. Annatto, the spice used to make achiote oil, comes from the Amazon. Depending on whom you ask, rice arrived with the Spanish and Portuguese, either from Asia, via the Spanish-controlled Philippines, or with enslaved people from western Africa.

Beyond the history lessons, rice and beans can be...