Pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) is a drought-tolerant legume domesticated on the Indian subcontinent roughly 3,500 years ago; it later spread to Africa and, through trade and colonial-era routes, to the Caribbean and Latin America, where it remains a staple. Cooked pigeon peas have a firm, slightly creamy texture and a mild, nutty, earthy flavor. In India, they are the base of toor dal and sambar; in the Caribbean, they are the "peas" in rice-and-peas dishes such as Jamaican rice and peas and Puerto Rican arroz con gandules, both traditionally cooked with coconut milk or sofrito. They pair well with onion, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, chile, and coconut.