HAITIAN NEW YEAR TRADITION : SOUP JOUMOU OR INDEPENDENCE SOUP

January 1st is such a special day for the Haitian community. Not only because it marks the start of a new year but most importantly, because on January 1st, 1804 Haiti made history by being the first Black republic in the world and the first country in the Western Hemisphere to abolish slavery.

On this day, you can be sure that every Haitian family will be found enjoying the traditional independence soup: Soup Joumou, which is our symbol of freedom and independence.

Why soup joumou? Well the story behind it is, slaves were not allowed to drink the soup during slavery days. It was a meal reserved for French masters. When Haiti defeated the French and won their Independence, they gave this previously forbidden food a whole new meaning. The soup became a symbol of Haitian independence and freedom.

Whether you like your soup Joumou vegetarian or full of meat, with pasta or without, there are so many different ways of making this delicious soup, which shows our beauty and diversity!

We had the chance to sit with Gaëlle Lissade, a Haitian food lover and connoisseur now living in Europe. She not only talks about her passion for cooking but also about how she lives Haitian Independence Day in her kitchen!

My name is Gaëlle Lissade, founder and creative mind behind Come over I’ll make dinner. A unique dinner experience concept, inspired by Haitian dinner traditions. I was raised in Haiti and immigrated to the US to attend college in 2010, where I studied Political Science. I have spent the past few years, working in diplomacy. And as of recently moved to Germany from the UK.

I always find it so interesting when someone asks me when my love of cooking started. Honestly, I can’t remember. Food has been such an integral part of my life since my younger years. My grandmother and my godmother both cooked and baked professionally, and of course my mom is to date the best chef I know. I’ve always been surrounded by food, and I loved that, I loved being in the environment, tasting and watching. But I do know that my love of cooking steamed from my love for dinners.

I loved Sunday dinners around the table, or just going out to eat with friends and family. From there it turned into me wanting to participate in those happy moments. I started going to the kitchen and learning hands-on all the intricacies of home-cooking from my mother and our cooking-maid. And that was it! I made a shrimp tart, as my first meal and that was it, I was hooked!

What does Independence Day mean to you, as a Haitian cook?

Well, first being Haitian, it’s the premise of our history, conquering adversity to the path of freedom, tradition and family. As a Haitian cook, I think it’s the day to cherish and translate that history and tradition, to commemorate and pay homage to those that have paved the way for us to be here today. It’s the first day of the year where we bring people together around our “Soup Joumou” and an opportunity to share our culture with the world as a part of our founding fathers’ vision for our nation to be the lighthouse of freedom and unity.

When did I learn to cook Soup Joumou?

Like I said earlier, I don’t really have a clear memory on when I learned to cook. Since it is such a staple in our households, on January 1st or just on Sundays’ I’ve always really observed and from there when it came time to do it, I tried using the techniques I’ve seen my mom use and made it from there. But again, honestly it wasn’t until recently that I feel like I’ve successfully mastered the art of making a hearty Soup Joumou

Can you share your recipe?

Of course, but I don’t want to take the entire credit since this is my mother’s recipe with a few modifications to make it accessible to the international crowd. Soup Joumou is laborious, but an absolute sign of love and absolutely worth experiencing.

Ingredients

2 slices of Giraumont / Winter Squash

4/6 carrots roll cut

½ of a white cabbage + 1 Cabbage leaf

2 radishes peeled and cubed

6 russet potatoes cut in cubes

¼ Malanga and ¼ yam (Optional)

3 Cloves, poked into a green scotch bonnet pepper (Not optional)

2 Culantro (Shado Beni) leaves and thyme**

Seasonned Beef Shanks*

½ cup of macaroni

1 leek

½ onion chopped

Preparing the Beef Shanks*

Wash and clean your beef, using the traditional method, or treat to your liking. Pat dry and add in your Haitian seasoning, mustard, a little sprinkle of adobo (until the ancestors ask you to stop), hot sauce, salt and a few sprigs of fresh thyme. Massage the mixture into the meat and let rest at least 30 minutes. (This can also be prepared and left in the fridge overnight)

In a medium to hot pan, add 1 tbsp of olive oil, and your beef. Brown on all side and reduce the heat and cover. The juices (sauce) that will be created with this steaming will bring a depth to the soup

Preparing the Soup

Peel your Giraumond, clean and remove the seeds along withany extra strings. Once cleaned, add the vegetable to a pot of water and bring to a boil until it softens.

Once it is done cooking, remove the giraumon from the pot and place it in your blender, using some of the cooking water continuously until it becomes well diluted.

Using a strainer, pass the mixture in your stock pot. Add more hot water as necessary to help extract the rest of the giraumondfrom the strainer.

Bring your stock pot to a medium-high boil. Add in your carrots, radish, leek, the cloves and green scotch bonnet.

Using a cooking thread, tie together the thyme and Culantroleaves, then wrap them in 1 cabbage leaf. Add the rolled cabbage leaf into your stock pot. Note that it must be removed before serving.

Cover, and leave on a medium-heat for 15 minutes or until vegetables have soften and are fully cooked.

In the meantime, remove beef shanks from the heat.

Once the carrots have cooked, slowly add in the pieces of beef, potatoes, malanga, yam and macaroni. Stir occasionally to avoid clumping of the ingredients. Cover and let simmer on low/medium heat for 20 minutes.

If the soup thickens more than you would like, add in some hot water.

And now for the secret ingredients

In a hot pan, add in some olive oil and add in chopped onions. Cook until brown and caramelized. Using one ladle, pour your soup mixture (just the liquid) over the onions. Immediately turn off the heat.

Using a strainer, strain the soup and onion mixture, adding it back to the big pot of soup. This is an absolute game changer.

Give it a good mix, correct your seasoning accordingly and it’s ready to serve. Of course, with some warm Haitian bread and butter!

What special touches do you add to your soup?

The caramelized onion part of my recipe is absolutely what elevates the flavor of the soup in contrast to the other soups of the world. The process is referred to as “Commander” and it absolutely adds a great layer of sweetness and depth.

Favorite thing about being Haitian?

Our gastronomy! I think I can unbiasedly say that Haiti has one of the best foods in the world, and that’s one of my goals with Come Over I’ll Make Dinner, to invite people to experience this amazing food the way it should be, with amazing flavors and surrounded by friends and family.

Make sure you stay in touch with Gaëlle and the magic she creates in the kitchen by following @comeoverillmakedinner.

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THERE IS NO HAITIAN NEW YEAR WITHOUT SOUP JOUMOU