# Why do Mexican meals (in the U.S.) always come with rice & beans? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 17, 2008, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-mexican-meals-in-the-u-s-always-come-with-rice-beans/441702 "2008-03-17T21:40:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Walkabout](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/46a35a/32.png) [@Walkabout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walkabout)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2008, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-mexican-meals-in-the-u-s-always-come-with-rice-beans/441702/21 "2008-03-18T19:41:25Z")
I kind of doubt you’d find them here in West Virginia, either. It’s not exactly a Mexican food mecca. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2008, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-mexican-meals-in-the-u-s-always-come-with-rice-beans/441702/22 "2008-03-18T20:08:53Z")
[QUOTE=Anne Neville] …Probably worse than in Europe at the time. Remember, the pre-Columbian North American Indians didn’t have any domesticated meat animals except the dog. [/QUOTE] What about turkeys? ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2008, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-mexican-meals-in-the-u-s-always-come-with-rice-beans/441702/23 "2008-03-18T20:16:57Z")
[QUOTE=alphaboi867] What about turkeys? [/QUOTE] In Mesoamerica, they did have domesticated turkeys. You’re right. That’s still not much compared with the selection that European peasants of the time had. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2008, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-mexican-meals-in-the-u-s-always-come-with-rice-beans/441702/24 "2008-03-18T20:20:52Z")
[QUOTE=The Scrivener] When digested in tandem, the simple, inadequate vegetable proteins of the corn and beans are recombined by the digestive system into much longer protein chains. In other words, corn and beans together make an adequate meat substitute for those times when real meat may be in short supply. [/QUOTE] This is, I think, slightly misleading, it that it implies there’s something special about eating beans and corn together in the same meal. There’s not. Combining beans with rice or corn is esthetically pleasing and provides a nice balance of protein heavy (beans) and calorie heavy (corn/rice), just like combining beef with potatoes, but there’s no nutritional benefit from eating them together, as opposed to separate meals. Wiki cite, since I’m time-limited: [Protein combining - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protein_combining) ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2008, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-mexican-meals-in-the-u-s-always-come-with-rice-beans/441702/25 "2008-03-18T20:21:12Z")
[QUOTE=WVmom] I kind of doubt you’d find them here in West Virginia, either. It’s not exactly a Mexican food mecca. [/QUOTE] Nor is Tennessee but I’ve seen them in the the locally owned and working class grocery store that my parents shop at. If a grocery store has an “international aisle”, they’re practically guaranteed to be stocked. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2008, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-mexican-meals-in-the-u-s-always-come-with-rice-beans/441702/26 "2008-03-18T20:58:12Z")
[QUOTE=Zsofia] _Any_ supermarket? Maybe any supermarket in Florida. [/QUOTE] 😃 Being in Chicago, I’m confident I can find some. I know that, literally, every supermarket (okay, Aldi excepted) has them fresh in the produce department. I keep picking them up and then setting them back down again 'cause I don’t know what to do with them. Do I peel them before slicing them? How, exactly, does one peel a cactus? …and now seeing two very different things under the name “prickly pear” makes sense - the pad AND the fruits are edible! Huh. Who knew? (Besides several million Mexicans, of course. 😉 ) ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2008, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-mexican-meals-in-the-u-s-always-come-with-rice-beans/441702/27 "2008-03-18T21:55:37Z")
[QUOTE=WhyNot] 😃 Being in Chicago, I’m confident I can find some. I know that, literally, every supermarket (okay, Aldi excepted) has them fresh in the produce department. I keep picking them up and then setting them back down again 'cause I don’t know what to do with them. Do I peel them before slicing them? How, exactly, does one peel a cactus? …and now seeing two very different things under the name “prickly pear” makes sense - the pad AND the fruits are edible! Huh. Who knew? (Besides several million Mexicans, of course. 😉 ) [/QUOTE] The pads of the Nopal cactus, cut up & cooked, are called _nopalitos_. The fruit is called the _tuna_. (Not to be confused with the fish, _atún_!) San Antonio’s [Zuni Grill](http://www.zunigrill.com/Default.aspx?PageID=22) macerates tunas in tequila to make the famous Cactus 'Rita. (Shouldn’t that be Tunarita?) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2008, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-mexican-meals-in-the-u-s-always-come-with-rice-beans/441702/28 "2008-03-18T22:36:44Z")
[QUOTE=Quercus] This is, I think, slightly misleading, it that it implies there’s something special about eating beans and corn together in the same meal. There’s not. Combining beans with rice or corn is esthetically pleasing and provides a nice balance of protein heavy (beans) and calorie heavy (corn/rice), just like combining beef with potatoes, but there’s no nutritional benefit from eating them together, as opposed to separate meals. Wiki cite, since I’m time-limited: [Protein combining - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protein_combining) [/QUOTE] I’ll give the article’s author the benefit of the doubt, even though that table didn’t cover corn or beans (or nine of the amino acids) and shows a deficiency in lysine. I’m glad I don’t have to get by on nothing but brown rice (or beans, or pumpkin, etc.), though. ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2008, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-mexican-meals-in-the-u-s-always-come-with-rice-beans/441702/29 "2008-03-18T22:42:18Z")
[QUOTE=WhyNot] 😃 Being in Chicago, I’m confident I can find some. I know that, literally, every supermarket (okay, Aldi excepted) has them fresh in the produce department. I keep picking them up and then setting them back down again 'cause I don’t know what to do with them. Do I peel them before slicing them? How, exactly, does one peel a cactus? [/QUOTE] > [@](#): > > Select thin pads no longer than 20cm or 8 inches. Make sure to wear heavy gloves to harvest the pads yourself. The pad will snap off easily or you can use a large knife to sever the stem. Beware, there are large and fine thorns so be sure to keep your hands protected. To prepare the pads remove the thorns and the “eyes” with a vegetable peeler or a small paring knife or this new gadget designed just for spine removal. Wash the pads well with cool water and peel or trim off any blemished or discolored areas. Slice the pads in long slices or in pieces or leave whole depending on the dish you will prepare. [http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/nopalitos.htm](http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/nopalitos.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2008, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-mexican-meals-in-the-u-s-always-come-with-rice-beans/441702/30 "2008-03-20T13:21:56Z")
Mexico is a pretty big country. People near the ocean eat what is available near the ocean. People inland eat what is available there. Also, it is a labor-intensive cuisine. The ingredients usually do not cost very much, but it takes a lot of time to make some of the dishes. Rice and beans are cheap accompaniments to something like tamales, which are so time-consuming they traditionally are made only at holidays and sometimes include the entire family in production. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2008, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-mexican-meals-in-the-u-s-always-come-with-rice-beans/441702/31 "2008-03-20T13:41:35Z")
[QUOTE=Zsofia] _Any_ supermarket? Maybe any supermarket in Florida. [/QUOTE] I’ve found 'em fresh and canned in da UP. If that’s true, I’d guess there’s a chance you’d find 'em anywhere. ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2008, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-mexican-meals-in-the-u-s-always-come-with-rice-beans/441702/32 "2008-03-20T13:50:42Z")
[QUOTE=WhyNot] Do I peel them before slicing them? How, exactly, does one peel a cactus? [/QUOTE] Carefully. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2008, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-mexican-meals-in-the-u-s-always-come-with-rice-beans/441702/33 "2008-03-20T14:21:56Z")
[QUOTE=Bridget Burke] Instead of the traditional refried beans (which aren’t really refried–but it’s a long story [/QUOTE] Short story, I thought. IIRC in Spanish the prefix “re-” is an emphasizer which in this case means “thoroughly” or “extremely” and frito is fried - so refrito is “thoroughly fried”. When translating that into English, they transposed the prefix re- even though it had a different meaning, to get “refried”, which in English implies “fried again”. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2008, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-mexican-meals-in-the-u-s-always-come-with-rice-beans/441702/34 "2008-03-20T16:01:14Z")
Why grow rice if you can grow potatoes? potatoes are more nutritious, are easier to grow, and tolerate lower temperatures than rice. Rice has to be hand-transplanted, and grown in water-a lot of labor, and processing the grains is also labor-intensive. Harvesting potatoes? Just dig them up! The mystery is why rice is so prevalent , even in climates where potato cultivation is easy. ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2008, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-mexican-meals-in-the-u-s-always-come-with-rice-beans/441702/35 "2008-03-20T16:54:16Z")
[QUOTE=WVmom] I’m curious as to what else would be served with tacos and enchiladas. Are there other common side dishes that normally appear with this type food in Mexico? [/QUOTE] [Posole](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posole) aka hominy. Granted, Mexican and New Mexican food are different (and NM is different from Tex-Mex), but posole is a relatively common side, and is often served with red chile. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2008, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-mexican-meals-in-the-u-s-always-come-with-rice-beans/441702/36 "2008-03-20T17:19:19Z")
I thought you serve rice with Tex-Mex (and curry) for a simple reason. Its bland. Spicy food would be too overpowering without a bland side dish to counter the effects. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2008, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-mexican-meals-in-the-u-s-always-come-with-rice-beans/441702/37 "2008-03-20T17:22:24Z")
[QUOTE=ralph124c] Why grow rice if you can grow potatoes? potatoes are more nutritious, are easier to grow, and tolerate lower temperatures than rice. Rice has to be hand-transplanted, and grown in water-a lot of labor, and processing the grains is also labor-intensive. Harvesting potatoes? Just dig them up! The mystery is why rice is so prevalent , even in climates where potato cultivation is easy. [/QUOTE] Probably because you can get three or four crops a year out of a rice paddy. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2008, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-mexican-meals-in-the-u-s-always-come-with-rice-beans/441702/38 "2008-03-20T17:50:13Z")
[QUOTE=ralph124c] Why grow rice if you can grow potatoes? potatoes are more nutritious, are easier to grow, and tolerate lower temperatures than rice. Rice has to be hand-transplanted, and grown in water-a lot of labor, and processing the grains is also labor-intensive. Harvesting potatoes? Just dig them up! The mystery is why rice is so prevalent , even in climates where potato cultivation is easy. [/QUOTE] If you’ve got a climate where it doesn’t get very cold, you don’t have to worry about cold tolerance. Except for some mountainous regions in the north, [most of Mexico is at least USDA hardiness zone 8](http://www.garden-helper.com/plan/tools/zonemaptop.asp). Cold tolerance is not a major problem. If you’ve got lots of available cheap labor, you don’t have to worry about rice requiring more labor. Mexico has and has had that. Rice, especially white rice, keeps longer than potatoes. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2008, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-mexican-meals-in-the-u-s-always-come-with-rice-beans/441702/39 "2008-03-20T20:57:10Z")
An order of tacos around here will come with your choice of meat (fajita, tripas, pollo, etc…), cilantro and onions with sides of charro beans and a loaded baked potato. Complete with crunchy fake bacon bits. Jalisco-style Tex-Mex. Yum. ---
**Author:** ![Thing\_Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@Thing\_Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing_Fish)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2008, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-mexican-meals-in-the-u-s-always-come-with-rice-beans/441702/40 "2008-03-20T21:13:38Z")
How about the chips and salsa thing? In my (limited) experience you do find those in restaurants in Mexico; is it an indigenous thing or imported from America for the comfort of tourists? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-mexican-meals-in-the-u-s-always-come-with-rice-beans/441702.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-mexican-meals-in-the-u-s-always-come-with-rice-beans/441702.md?page=3)