#26 Haiti

Haiti is situated on the west side of the second largest island in the Caribbean, Hispaniola; Dominican Republic is on the east side. The island is one of only two shared islands in the Caribbean; the other being Saint Martin/Sint Maarten belonging to France and the Netherlands.

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Is Tortuga a real place?

I’m sure I’m not the only one who assumed that the infamous isle of debauchery in Pirates of the Caribbean is fictitious, but, just like Lake Titicaca (definitely thought this was an imaginary place until I opened a Lonely Planet in 2017), Île de la Tortue/Isla Tortuga is a real place! It’s part of Haiti. It was a haven for pirates in the 17th century and the man himself, Captain Morgan, as in Captain Morgan rum, lead a merry bunch of buccaneers from the island.

We should raise a toast to Captain Morgan as he’s a local lad from south Wales. Iechyd da! Yo ho ho!

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Haitian cuisine

We’ve all already enjoyed Haitian food indirectly, without even realising! The word “barbeque” is believed to have originated from an indigenous language from Hispaniola, meaning “framework of sticks set upon posts”.

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Haitians enjoy a creole cuisine, blending culinary essences from Africa and France, with inspiration from the culinary practices of indigenous origin. Flavour comes from the liberal use of fresh herbs and peppers.

This is my third trip to the Caribbean and, unsurprisingly, I have noticed similarities in the cuisines of the different countries. The main parallels are the rum, naturally, and the use of a seasoning/marinade mix used as the flavour base for several/most dishes. Barbados has bajan seasoning, Trinidad and Tobago has green seasoning and Haiti has epis seasoning. I made my own epis using the ingredients pictured below (plus garlic, which I forgot to include in the photo, but it thankfully made it to the seasoning). It’s a delightfully zippy blend of fresh herbs, warmth and acidity from vinegar and lime.

Epis ingredients

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Haitian meals are largely based on cheap starch such as yams, cassava and plantain. Plantains are sometimes fried and paired with pikliz, spicy pickled cabbage, to balance with the fried stodge. Rice and beans are ubiquitous and are eaten daily as a dish in their own right or to accompany a meat or vegetable dish. Beans are usually red, black or pinto. Haitian rice and beans, diri ak pwa, typically includes coconut milk, onion, garlic, chicken stock, fresh herbs, and, of course, scotch bonnet! Diri ak djon djon, black mushroom rice, is a rice dish, perhaps not too dissimilar to a risotto but with less starchy rice, made with native black mushrooms, which are considered to be a delicacy so this is not an everyday meal.

Haitians love a stew and one that makes use of the wide variety of available vegetables is légume Haïtien, which is flavoured with epis (of course) and includes mashed aubergine, carrot, cabbage and whatever else is available. It’s a hearty and healthy meal.

Chicken, goat, pork and beef are enjoyed when they can be afforded. Poulet aux noix, chicken & cashew nuts, poulet en sauce, another much-loved stew (see below) or tassot, meat that has been spiced and dried before frying and often served with fried plantain are just a few example meat dishes.

Patties/pâtés are little savoury-filled puff pastry parcels, sold by street food vendors throughout the Caribbean. In Haiti, pâtés are typically filled with minced beef and seasoned with epis. Beef can be substituted with chicken, smoked herring or salted cod.

Red snapper is perhaps the favourite fish of Haiti and is grilled fresh from the sea at roadside shacks, or boiled, stewed or fried at home.

As well as stewing things, Haitians also love spaghetti…for breakfast. This usually involves a tomato sauce, sometimes simply ketchup, and chopped up hot dog sausages. How this came to be a popular morning meal isn’t completely clear but it but how it came to exist was a result of the introduction of cheap, processed foods by the USA, during their occupation of Haiti in the early 20th century. Just like the corned beef craze in Tonga, a concoction of tinned food from overseas has become a national dish.

Another national dish is soup joumou, a spicy pumpkin soup, which may also include beef, plantain, potato or other vegetables. This soup is usually made for 1st January as a tribute to Haitian independence (1804) because during slavery, it was illegal for slaves to eat this soup…that they often prepared for their French slave masters. Eating this soup is therefore a symbol of freedom and independence.

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Poulet en sauce

Like with the other Caribbean dishes I’ve made so far, once you’ve made the seasoning/marinade, the rest of the cooking is plain sailing.

I followed this recipe. I marinated chicken legs overnight in the epis I made earlier and some lime juice. On the day, I began by browning off the chicken pieces before setting them aside while I made the sauce part of the dish. I briefly sautéed some onion and garlic, added tomato puree, the marinating juice, a dash of vinegar, fresh parsley and thyme and some seasoning along with some water and returned the chicken to the pan. After a few minutes of happily simmering away, I threw in some slices of pepper and onion and let that cook through for a few more minutes. Simple.

I made diri ak pwa (rice and beans) to accompany my chicken in sauce, which truly was a wonderous way to serve rice:

- Sautee onion and garlic

- Add coconut milk and chicken stock and bring to the boil

- Chuck in long grain rice and a whole scotch bonnet, cover and let the rice absorb the hot, coconutty goodness.

- When the water is largely all consumed by the thirsty rice, throw in a knob of butter and a sprig of thyme and leave covered until all the liquid has gone.

Dinner that night was great! It was zingy, aromatic and comforting all at the same time. The epis marinade gave the dish multiple layers of flavour. De-licious.

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Next: GERMANY!

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#jencookstheworld