Culture Tuesday is a weekly column in which Best of Vegan Editor Samantha Onyemenam explores different cultures’ cuisines across the globe through a plant-based and vegan lens. In today’s column, she is taking a closer look at vegan Haitian cuisine.
Culture Tuesday – Haitian Cuisine
Haitian cuisine is Creole cuisine. This means that it is a cuisine of the Caribbean islands with both European and African origins – namely, West African, French, and Spanish. However, there are also existing Taíno influences. These are the influences from the indigenous (native) inhabitants of the Caribbean islands.
The influences of the Taíno are less evident than that of the Europeans and Africans as a result of the effects of colonization. Colonization of the island by the Spaniards brought about diseases that the Taíno had never had contact with and, thus, did not have the immunity to fight. As the Taíno were enslaved, forced to work on sugar plantations, and live in relatively small and less sanitary quarters, contagious diseases spread amongst the people rather quickly resulting in the deaths of a third of the Taíno population within the first two years, and nearly all the Taíno natives within the first decade of the colonization of Haiti (then known as, ‘Hispaniola,’ although Hispaniola referred to both Haiti and the Dominican Republic).
As most of the enslaved workforce had died, the Spaniards began to deal in human goods. They imported captured Africans (mostly from West Africa), enslaved them, and forced them to work in the plantations as replacements for the dead Taíno people.
With the importation of Africans, new ingredients and culinary practices were introduced to the island. These ingredients (some of Asian origins, as opposed to African) included pigeon peas, okra (ladyfingers), ackee, and cocoyam (specifically the taro and eddoe varieties).
Between the 17th and 18th centuries, the French gradually took control of the western third of Hispaniola (Haiti) from the Spaniards and they forced the enslaved Africans to plant, grow, and harvest tips such as sugarcane, coffee, and cocoa. The habitation of Hispaniola by the French resulted in an introduction and adoption of French culinary practices to Hispaniola and by those dwelling in it (both the surviving natives and enslaved inhabitants). It also led to the use of French names for some dishes and the non-French names sounding similar to French at times (for example, riz collé aux pois and diri kole ak pwa which refers to a rice and peas dish in French and Haitian Creole, respectively).
Tomtom
The African influence on the cuisine of Haiti can be greater seen in dishes such as Tomtom. Tomtom is a swallow (a West African term for a starchy food pounded till smooth and mouldable which is eaten with a soup or sauce). It is made by cooking breadfruit in boiling water until fork-tender then pounding the cooked breadfruit until smooth, a bit sticky, and mouldable. The tomtom is usually served with kalalou gombo – a spicy sauce made from callalou (a Caribbean vegetable somewhat similar to spinach) and okra that is reminiscent of the West African okra soup.
Like swallows and soups across Africa, tomtom is eaten with freshly washed hands. The fingers are used to pinch off bite-sized pieces of the tomtom then dip it in the kalalou gombo before putting it in the mouth and swallowing. It should be noted that tomtom should not be chewed….unless you want the African ancestors frowning down upon you. Simply swallow.
Accra
Accra, is a dish similar to the West African akara though it is actually of Taíno origin. It is made from a mixture of cocoyam (malanga), scotch bonnet chillies, onions, herbs, and spices, as opposed to beans, onions, chillies, and spices (although some cooks do include black eyed beans in their mixture). The mixture is deep-fried to make fritters which are usually vegan-friendly.
It is believed that these fritters, in some form, were made by the Taíno when Christopher Columbus arrived on their land as culturally, the Taíno were very hospitable people. However, some people believe that the recipe developed to what it is today through the influence of the enslaved West Africans who had akara as a dish in the cuisines of the lands they were kidnapped from.
Griyo
Griyo is part of the national dish of Haiti. It is not vegan. However, vegan versions have been made using meat substitutes such as tofu, seitan (gluten), and jackfruit. For the purpose of this article, griyo will be described using ‘jackfruit,’ in place of ‘pork.’
To make griyo, the jackfruit is cleaned thoroughly using citrus fruit such as lemons or sour oranges. Once clean, it is marinated in epis (a herbaceous spice mix), simmered in the marinade then deep or shallow fried till cooked and tender on the inside, but crispy on the outside.
On its own, griyo isn’t considered to be a meal. Thus, it is served with pikliz (pickled cabbage and scotch bonnet chillies) and diri ak pwa wouj (red beans and rice) and/or fried plantains.
It is believed that this dish was named after the West African griots. Griots are West African poets, musicians, historians, and storytellers who are seen as leaders due to their roles as advisors to royals and keepers of oral traditions. Traditional (non-vegan) griyo is an expensive dish to make in Haiti. Thus, it is usually reserved for those considered to be higher-class citizens or visitors to the country. This can be interpreted to be a reflection on the Griots who were also considered as important very high-class members of society in West Africa.
Epis
Epis is an integral part of Haitian cuisine. It is a blend of green bell pepper, scotch bonnet chillies, parsley, garlic, spring onions (green onions/scallions), and lemon juice. However, its recipe varies with household and region. It can include other ingredients such as onions, celery, coriander (cilantro), thyme, oil, and/or bouillon cubes.
Traditionally, epis is made using a munsh pilon (mortar and pestle) to pound the ingredients till they disintegrate and form a paste. Nowadays, a blender is used as a quicker method to make epis.
Diri Djon Djon
Diri djon djon is a black mushroom rice dish. It is made of jasmine rice cooked with onions, garlic, peas, red bell peppers, and the edible black mushrooms of Northern Haiti – djon djon. Thus, the dish is more common in the northern region of Haiti and can be classified as a regional dish.
The mushrooms give the dish a distinct flavor with umami and slightly earthy notes. Therefore, they provide both color and flavor to the dish.
Soup Joumou
During the colonial period, the enslaved Africans were made to work as cooks (in addition to being slave labor for the plantations, construction sites, childcare, housekeeping, and so on) for the French. Although they were forced to eat scraps, they had to make exquisite flavourful dishes for those who enslaved them. One of the dishes they made, which they reclaimed as their own upon emancipation is Soup Joumou.
Soup Joumou is a pumpkin soup made by cooking puréed pumpkin, or a similar squash, in vegetable stock (sometimes, a non-vegan stock is used) then adding other ingredients such as vegetables, pasta, and potatoes to the dish along with herbs and spices to add more texture and flavor to the dish as well as to make it more filling.
Recipe from Vegan Haitian Cuisine: Espageti by Gabrielle Reyes (OneGreatVegan)
Espageti, also known as, ‘Haitian Spaghetti,’ is a flavorsome spaghetti dish made by frying tomato paste with aromatic vegetables, herbs, spices, and epis then combining it with cooked spaghetti. It is usually not a vegan dish as fried sausages are added to it. However, with the growth of vegan meat substitutes, this dish is easily veganised using vegan sausages.
In this recipe, Gabrielle Reyes of OneGreatVegan.com (@onegreatvegan on Instagram and One Great Vegan on YouTube) shows you how she makes her amazing and delectable Haitian Spaghetti with a musical twist!
This recipe is great for quick weekday cooking as well as for quick meals with minimal clean-up on any other day.
Click here for the full recipe.