Chambre

Chambre is a thick, rustic stew that is the ultimate one-pot comfort food of the Dominican south. Unlike La Bandera where rice and beans are served separately, chambre combines everything — rice, several types of beans, and whatever meats are available — into a single, thick, porridge-like dish that is deeply satisfying and enormously flavorful.

The dish originated in the rural southern provinces, particularly in the Azua, San Juan, and Barahona regions, where it was a practical way for farming families to cook a nutritious meal with whatever ingredients they had on hand. Typical chambre includes red beans, pigeon peas, longaniza sausage, pork, and sometimes smoked meats, all simmered together until the rice breaks down and the stew becomes wonderfully thick.

Chambre is the kind of dish that tastes even better the next day, when the flavors have had time to meld further. It is particularly popular during cooler months and is considered essential fare for rural celebrations and community gatherings in the south.