top of page

History with Flavors of Haiti

Haitian cuisine is influenced by African, Caribbean, French and Spanish flavors. This reflects the country's diverse culture and history. It is known for its use of spices and seasoning to have their meals grab people's attention. The country's top ingredients are rice, beans, meat, and seafood but these are often marinated in citrus, garlic, and scotch bonnet to enhance the taste. These ingredients also specialize in their usual and National dishes, such as Griot, Diri ak pwa, and soup Joumou.

 

Griot is one of Haiti's most beloved dishes. It is fried pork that is usually served with vegetables or rice. The name “Griot” comes from West Africa, as Griots and Griottes are people who recount stories, sing and play music. A theory about why this dish was named after these African storytellers is because Haitian griot was reserved for the highest-class Haitian citizens and for tourists because of the price of this piece of pork. Along with griot, another popular dish is Soup Joumou.

 

Soup joumou is prepared by pureeing squash or pumpkin and adding it to either chicken or vegetable broth. In slavery Haitians made this in addition to other soups but were not allowed to taste them. After the revolution ended they claimed this soup for themselves as a symbol of resilience. Today, soup Joumou is more than just a meal; it is a reminder of Haiti's revolutionary spirit and the pride of a nation that fought for its freedom against all odds.

 

Following those historical everyday meals, indulging in traditional Haitian desserts is not as common as other places. Frequently eaten sweet treats include fresh tropical fruits. Other desserts are mainly eaten on holidays or special events, but Sunday is also the day when there might be leisure time for a nice dessert as well. The National dish of Haiti is called Dous Makos. Dous Makos (sweet makos) is the only Haitian candy that has been mass manufactured and distributed. It is a fudge candy that usually has three stripes, each one of them a different flavor. The candy was invented in 1939 in a town called Petit-Goave by Ferdinand Makos, hence the name. He was a Belgian-Haitian entrepreneur, and he was the one to create this dessert and to make a company out of it. It is very similar to the Spanish Turron which he used as inspiration. Unlike Turron that is usually only made with almonds, Dous makos can be flavored with many things such as rum, cinnamon, vanilla, chocolate, peanut butter or almonds. These dishes and desserts, with their rich flavors and traditional ingredients are a testament to the vibrant and diverse culinary heritage of Haiti.

Recipes 

Griot:

INGREDIENTS:

​

  • 1.5 lb of pork shoulders

  • 1 scotch bonnet pepper

  • 1 tsp of parsley

  • 1 tsp of garlic powder

  • 1 tsp of thyme

  • 1/2 tsp of rosemary

  • 2 tsp of seasoning salt

  • 1 tsp of epis

  • 1 lime

  • 1 sour orange

Screenshot 2025-03-10 at 5.20.45 PM.png
1725030085744.webp
Grilled-pork-griot-recipe.webp

DIRECTIONS:

STEP 1:

Cut the pork into cubes. Wash thoroughly with the lime and sour orange juice.

STEP 2:

Season well with rosemary, thyme, parsley, garlic powder, pepper, epis, seasoning salt and let it marinate for 4 hours. For best results, refrigerate overnight.

STEP 3:

In a saucepan, boil water over medium-high heat. Add in the meat and cover. Let it cook until the water evaporates.

STEP 4:

Stir occasionally and continue to cook until meat is tender.

STEP 5:

Remove the meat and set aside.

STEP 6:

In a skillet, heat oil and fry each side to brown evenly.

STEP 7:

Serve hot with bannann peze and diri kole. Yummy

Soup Joumou:

INGREDIENTS:

​

  • 1 lb of beef

  • 1/2 cup of olive oil

  • water as needed

  • 1 large scallions, diced

  • 1 half medium cabbage, diced

  • 2 potatoes, peeled and chopped

  • 2 yams, peeled and chopped

  • 2 malangas, peeled and chopped

  • 2 butternut squash, peeled and chopped

  • 2 turnips, peeled and chopped

  • 1 stalk of celery chopped

  • 3 medium carrots, chopped

  • 1 6 oz. package of spaghetti

  • 1 tablespoon of tomato paste

  • 1 scotch bonnet pepper

  • 4 parsley sprigs

MEAT SEASONING:

​

  • 1 tsp black pepper

  • 1 tsp thyme

  • 2 shallots, diced

  • 1 tsp seasoning salt

  • 2 chicken bouillon cubes

  • 1 tsp garlic powder

  • 1 tsp onion powder

  • 2 tsp epis

Screenshot 2025-03-11 at 8.33.57 AM.png
merlin_181421682_e4bc0c50-cc2a-4ccb-a8c8-3d9ff0c67410-threeByTwoMediumAt2X.webp
Screenshot-2020-12-28-at-9.14.50-AM.webp

DIRECTIONS:

 

For the meat:

 

STEP 1:Marinate the meat overnight or for at least 1 hour.

 

STEP 2:Place the seasoned meat in a stockpot and cover with water.

 

STEP 3:Add oil and let boil over high heat. Keep covered until the water has evaporated.

 

STEP 4:Uncover, stir and simmer a few drips of water occasionally to brown the meat.

 

STEP 5:Keep stirring and simmer water occasionally until you have a nice browning color to the meat.

 

STEP 6:Stir in one tbsp of tomato paste. Remove meat and set aside the pot for the vegetables.

 

For the vegetables:

 

STEP 1:In a separate bowl, cut into small pieces the large scallions and half medium cabbage.

 

STEP 2:Peel & chop the potatoes, yams, malanga, butternut squash, carrots, and turnip.

 

STEP 3:Wash the vegetables. In a separate pot, boil water and add the vegetables. Cover and cook over high heat for about an hour.

 

STEP 4:Reduce heat and add scotch bonnet pepper.

 

STEP 5:Once the squash is fully cooked, remove it from the pot. Use some of the cooking water to blend the squash into a purée.

 

STEP 6:Strain the purée through a fine sieve set over a bowl. Press it through with a spoon or rubber spatula.

 

STEP 7:For best flavoring, pour the cooked vegetables, the squash purée and cooking liquid into the pot that cooked the meat.

 

STEP 8:Add parsley, thyme, and broken spaghetti (or substitute with macaroni).

 

STEP 9:Let it all cook, until tender.

 

STEP 10:Combine meat into soup. Serve hot

Dous Makos:

DIRECTIONS:

Step 1

In a 3 quart non-stick pot, add all ingredients (except food coloring and cocoa power) and cook on medium heat until sugar dissolves while constantly stirring.

Step 2

Once sugar dissolves, raise heat to high and continue stirring for 20 - 25 min or until mix has a lava consistency. If you have a candy thermometer it will be around 115 °C.

Step 3

Remove the pot off the heat and continue stirring for another 10-15 min. The mix will start to lose its shinny color as it cools.

Step 4

OPTIONAL - If you want to make the signature stripes, take half the mix and separate the half into 2 containers. Add 2 drops of food coloring in the first and a 1/4 tsp of coca powder in the second. Mix the thoroughly.

Step 5

Place wax paper in the mini loaf pans and fill it with the mix.

Step 6

Allow the mix to cool and harden for about an hour.

Step 7

Remove the mix from the pan and slice vertically.

Step 8

Store in a cool place

INGREDIENTS:

​

  • 2 Cups of sugar

  • 1/2 Cups of Whole Milk

  • 1 Can of sweetened condensed milk (14 ounces)

  • 8 Tbs of butter

  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

  • 1/4 tsp of Anise star extract

  • 1/4 tsp of nutmeg

  • 1/4 tsp of cinnamon

  • Red Food Coloring (Optional red layer)

  • 1/4 tsp of cocoa powder (Optional Dark brown layer)

  • wax paper

  • mini loaf pans

​

​

Servings : 8-10

Prep Time : 5m

Cook Time : 25m

Ready In : 60m

Dous_Makos-5-575x262.jpg
Screenshot 2025-03-11 at 11.42.21 AM.png

Citations:

Together Women Rise. “Customs and Cuisine of Haiti | Together Women Rise.” TOGETHER WOMEN RISE, 2023, togetherwomenrise.org/customsandcuisine/customs-and-cuisine-of-haiti/.

​

Augustin, Noah. “A History of Haitian Food.” Whetstone Magazine, 4 Aug. 2023, www.whetstonemagazine.com/journal/a-history-of-haitian-food.

​

“Popular Haiti Recipes. Haiti Diet | - CountryReports.” Countryreports.org, 2024, www.countryreports.org/country/Haiti/recipes.htm.

​

Recipes, Haitian. “Griyo | Griot | Haitian Fried Pork -.” Haitian Recipes , haitian-recipes.com/griot-de-porc/.

​

“Soup Joumou -.” Haitian-Recipes.com, 10 Dec. 2019, haitian-recipes.com/soup-joumou/. Accessed 11 Mar. 2025.

​

‌Krishna, Priya. “Soup Joumou.” NYT Cooking, 30 Dec. 2020, cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1021716-soup-joumou. Accessed 11 Mar. 2025.

​

Karr, Larisa. “A Taste of History: Soup Joumou Brouhaha Highlights ​Fandom, Significance of Dish.” The Haitian Times, 2025, haitiantimes.com/2025/01/01/a-taste-of-history-soup-joumou-brouhaha-highlights-fandom-significance-of-dish/. Accessed 11 Mar. 2025.

‌

‌

HaitianCooking. “Dous Makos (Haitian Fudge) -.” Haitiancooking.com, 13 Oct. 2014, haitiancooking.com/recipe/dous-makos-haitian-fudge/. Accessed 11 Mar. 2025.

‌

‌TasteAtlas. “Dous Makos | Traditional Dessert from Petit-Goave, Haiti | TasteAtlas.” Tasteatlas.com, TasteAtlas, 24 Aug. 2017, www.tasteatlas.com/dous-makos. Accessed 11 Mar. 2025.

‌

bottom of page