It's beginning to look a lot like - January 1st, and if you are Haitian or know someone who is, the chances are that they are busy preparing to make soup joumou. Just days before the new year you'll find Haitian women at their local farmers or Korean markets shopping for perfectly ripe plantain and other vegetables, as well as green or yellow squash that must be just the right shade of orange on the inside.
The consumption of soup joumou on January 1st is a 218-year tradition in Haitian culture. On that day, every Haitian, whether living abroad or in Haiti, will either make or be invited to a family or friend's home to eat soup joumou, perhaps with a patty on the side, as shown above. The soup made from pumpkin puree with vegetables, meat, and pasta, seems to be a favorite of many generations of Haitians and Haitian-Americans. However, if you ask younger Haitians about the history of soup joumou, some millennials may not be as familiar with the past as their parents.
The eating soup joumou began on January 1st, 1804, as Haiti officially won its independence from France. To celebrate such a huge and important victory, the newly-freed people cooked and shared soup joumou. A delicacy previously forbade now took on a new meaning. According to Professor Bayinnah Bello, Dessalines's wife, Empress Marie Claire Heureuse Felicite Bonheur Dessalines, came up with the Haitian recipe. She recognized the need for a dish to nourish and further unify the people. After 13 plus years of fighting and inadequate nutrient and sleep, health needed to be a priority. The soup offers a variety of essential vitamins and minerals. She then urged people to share the soup. It's only independence day if you make and share the soup.
Today, Haitians in Haiti and those of the diaspora are separated by physical distance but are especially connected on January 1st as households make and share the soup. It's one of the rare occasions where people put aside their differences to come together to commemorate the legacy and of the ancestors that revolted and created an Empire, Kingdom, and finally, the Black Republic.
In the documentary film "Liberty In A Soup," filmmaker Dudley Alexis with Edwidge Danticat looked back at the many events that led to Haiti's independence and reminded us how soup joumou had become the symbol of freedom for the Haitian people. That is the one long-standing tradition that has always been and will ever be observed by Haitians everywhere. In 2021, the UNESCO- United Nations Cultural Agency announced that it added soup joumou to the intangible cultural heritage items, giving the dish protected status. Haitian restaurant owners contribute greatly to the sharing and upholding of the tradition. Many Haitian restaurants and churches will serve the soup free to customers and church members on New Year's Day.
Happy Independence Day!