Often served alongside rice in Mexican cuisine, refried beans (AKA frijoles refritos) are a rich and creamy side dish with a texture that is quite different from other bean dishes.

The name of this dish might make you think that the beans are fried twice before they're pureed into a smooth consistency, but refried beans' English name is actually a misnomer.

In Spanish, the prefix "re" can be added to words for emphasis, and in the name "frijoles refritos," "frijoles" means "beans" while "refritos" means "well-fried" or "very fried."

Meanwhile, in English, a word beginning with "re" essentially means "to do again," so the translation "refried beans" gives us the wrong idea of how the dish is actually prepared.

Although refried beans aren't fried twice, they are cooked twice by simmering, mashing, and frying in a skillet. The final product is indeed well-fried, as its original name says.