It’s hard to imagine a humble plate of rice and beans igniting anyone’s patriotic fervor, but in Costa Rica and Nicaragua, the origin of gallo pinto is a matter of national pride. Both Ticos and Nicas claim the combination — whose name means “spotted rooster” —as their original creation and official dish.

Although Costa Rican legend says a Tico landowner invented gallo pinto for his San Sebastián Day celebration, the dish was most likely introduced by African slaves to Latin America’s Caribbean coast in the 18th century. The recipe of pre-cooked rice and beans fried together with cilantro, onion and peppers caught on so thoroughly in Costa Rican kitchens that today it’s present at almost every meal — even McDonald’s offers a dish dubbed the “McPinto.”

After Ticos made 965 pounds of gallo pinto for Guinness World Records, their neighbors to the north upped the ante with a vat of rice and beans that fed 22,200 people. Not to be outdone, in 2009 a team of chefs near San José, the Costa Rican capital, created a 6,000-pound version, feeding 50,000 people. Fortunately for visitors who don’t share this enthusiasm, a plate of gallo pinto makes the perfect vehicle for another Costa Rican specialty: the mild green Salsa Lizano.