Haitian Recipes

Haitian cooking combines West African, French and Taíno influences. The flavor base is épis, a blend of garlic, scallions, peppers, parsley and thyme that seasons meat and fish before they reach the pot. Rice with beans is the everyday plate, while special days call for rice with black djon djon mushrooms, griyo (fried pork) and pikliz, a fiery pickled cabbage slaw served alongside almost everything. Root vegetables, plantains, cornmeal and breadfruit fill out the table. Squash soup is the dish of New Year's Day, and flaky filled pastries called pâtés and fried akra fritters are eaten as snacks. Scotch bonnet peppers are used with care, often added whole for fragrance rather than heat. Sweets include sweet potato pudding and thick cornmeal drinks, and coffee is strong and sweet. Meals are generous, shared, and usually built around one large pot.

Staple ingredients

• rice and beans
• épis (herb and pepper base)
• plantains
• pork
• malanga and other root vegetables
• cornmeal
• scotch bonnet peppers
• djon djon mushrooms

• Soups 1
• Main Dishes 5
• Side Dishes 1
• Desserts 1
• Snacks 2
• Drinks 1
• Pickles and Preserves 1

Soups

• Soup Joumou (Haitian Pumpkin Soup)HT2 h 30 minMedium

Main Dishes

• Griyo (Haitian Fried Pork)HT2 hMedium
• Diri Kole ak Pwa (Haitian Rice and Red Beans)HT1 h 55 minEasy
• Legim (Haitian Vegetable Stew)HT2 hEasy
• Poul nan Sòs (Haitian Chicken in Creole Sauce)HT1 h 20 minEasy
• Pwason Fri (Haitian Fried Fish with Spicy Onion Sauce)HT1 hMedium

Side Dishes

• Diri ak Djondjon (Haitian Black Mushroom Rice)HT1 hMedium

Desserts

• Pen Patat (Haitian Sweet Potato Pudding)HT1 h 35 minEasy

Snacks

• Akra (Haitian Malanga Fritters)HT50 minEasy
• Pate Kode (Haitian Beef Pastries)HT1 h 25 minMedium

Drinks

• Akasan (Haitian Spiced Cornmeal Drink)HT30 minEasy

Pickles and Preserves

• Pikliz (Haitian Spicy Pickled Slaw)HT20 minEasy