Unpretentious and quite simple, the strongly flavored Haitian cuisine varies from one region to another yet invariably offering rice and beans, fritay (consisting of fried pork, plantains, sweet potato, akra, marinad and hot sausages). The word BBQ originated from Haiti deriving from the word Barabicu found in the language of the Taino people of the Caribbean and the Timucua people in Florida.
Popular foods: soup joumou (made of squash), fritay covered with a hot peppered sauce called pikliz (fried plantain, sweet potato, malanga, pork, goat meat, hot sausages, etc.), legim mashed vegetables such as eggplant, cabage, chayotes, carrots, spinach, etc.), diri ak pwa kole (rice and beans), diri ak djondjon (rice blackened with dried mushroom only produced in Haiti) bouillon (made of vegetables such as spinach, carrots, plantains etc. including root vegetables such as yam, etc.), taso kabrit (fried goat meat), taso bef (fried beef chops), patekode, pate chodye, pate aranso/mowi/bef ak pate poul (smoked fish, salted cod fish, beef, chicken patties stove or oven cooked, etc.), tchaka (made with red beans, corn, and meat), to name of few.
Regional dishes: poul ak nwa (chicken cooked with cashews), Cap-Haitian; tonmtonm (smashed steamed breadfruit and okra generally called kalalou- sauce), Jeremie; lalo (green leaves closer in look with spinach), Gonaives and Saint-Marc.
All of the above generally prepared with regional spices and piman bouk (hot scotch bonnet peppers) added more often than not.
Beverages and Drinks (Hot and cold)
Coffee – Haiti held the first place in coffee production during the slavery era. For decades, coffee along with sugar was the backbone of Haiti’s economy.
Several US companies import Haiti’s coffee: Domestique Coffee, Rebo Cafe, Cafe Kreyol, La Colombe, Singing Rooster, etc.
Most popular brands: Towo, Haitian Blue Mountain Coffee, Organic Blue Mountain Haitian Coffee, La Colombe Haitian Coffee (5 lbs currently being sold at $106.60 US), Selecto, Cafe Kreyol, Boyer’s Coffee, etc.
Beer: Prestige Beer an American-style lager brewed by Brasserie Nationale in Haiti. 2000 and 2012 Beer World Cup Gold Medalist. Sold at the international level. Cremas, Selle Bride, numerous popular alcoholic beverages (Bwa kochon, paradi, bwa kanpe, etc.), foskawo and hot teas.
Rhum: Rhum Barbancourt (1862-to present) made directly from sugarcane juice is widely regarded as one of the finest rums in the world. Won many tastings and competitions at the international level. Won excellent reviews from connoisseurs. Just released an estate reserve aged 150 years. General Estate Reserve aged 15 years. Other popular products: 5 star Reserve Speciale aged for 8 years, 3 star rhum aged for 4 years and a clear white rhum all sold in most countries including the USA, Canada, France, Italy etc.
Klerin (Clairin) made from molasses a by-product of sugar refining.
