Have you ever visited Haiti? Haiti has many great places to visit and delicious food dishes to offer. Are you interested in Haitian food? If you are thinking of exploring the dishes there, flavors they preferred, and basic genres of food like spicy or sweet, then to answer all these questions, we did a survey and tried to provide you the answers. In this blog, we had shared some of the top Haitian dishes which we found favorite by tourists.

The basic concept of Haitian food is that it is influenced by many cultures which had dominated Haiti in past. Mixed roots, spices are quite common and you will taste African heritage with the taste of French here. In this blog of top 10 Haiti dishes, we have also shared some major drinks available in Haiti and liked by tourists and locals alike. This list of Haiti dishes mentioned in the blog is based on the surveys, reviews of tourists, and their popularity on travel websites.

Poulet Aux Noix

A Haitian dish having main ingredients like chicken and cashews where chicken used in this dish is spicy and cashews are raw. Legs and thighs are the main chicken pieces that are used in this Haitian dish. Chicken is marinated, steamed, and then pan–fried. Other veggies used are tomatoes, onions, and paste of tomato to give the golden brown color to the meat.

Cashews are cooked in water and drained before adding to the chicken. Poulet Aux Noix is a traditional Haitian dish generally prepared during Sunday lunch and is accompanied by plain rice or rice with green peas.

Pikliz        

A famous Haitian dish comprising pickled cabbage, carrots, scotch peppers, and bell peppers. For seasoning garlic, onion and pickle are used in white vinegar. The dish is spicy and is generally used with other dishes to enhance the flavor. Pikliz is generally used with fried dishes like griot, tassot or peze.

Almost all of the restaurants in Haiti serve pikliz on its table. A spicy Haitian dish made with fermented vegetables such as carrots, onions, cucumbers, and cabbage.

Joumou

This Haitian dish has a very special place in Haitian culture. In the past, the dish was only preserved for the white masters, in the time when Haiti was a slave country. At the time of their independence, they celebrated their freedom by serving Jomou to each other on the streets. It’s a soupy dish traditionally cooked with pumpkin. The pumpkin is sliced and then boiled with pieces of beef, potato, and other vegetables such as carrots, cabbage, and onions. Seasonings like salt, herbs, and spices are added. In some places in Haiti, people also used some pasta or macaroni and a small amount of butter or oil. Before serving, a little lemon juice is also added. The hot soup is served with bread dipped in it.

TassotKabrit

Have you ever tried goat, if yes then you must be aware of its rich flavor, if no then this is your chance to taste the mouthwatering flavor. TassotKabrit is a famous dish in Haiti, that mixes the crunchiness of meat with sweetness. This traditional Haitian dish generally made with the fried goat meat especially the goat leg. If you are trying to make Tassotkabrit, then my advice is to buy fresh meat from a butcher but if that is not an option, frozen meat can also be used. Common goat meat is very fatty, so try to get some lean goat leg meat. Strips of lean goat meat are marinated with orange juice and lemons before they are fried. They are fried until they become crispy and brown. TassotKabrit is a popular Haitian food that can be found in almost all restaurants or street junctions and it can be served with rice or stew.

Makawoni Au Graten

Macaroni au gratin or makawoni au graten is a traditional food of Haiti made with macaroni and cheese. This can be prepared in many ways but the main ingredient used is Gouda cheese. This cheesy mixture is baked in the oven with evaporated milk and is usually baked till the color of cheese turns to a golden brown. Other main ingredients are pasta noodles and for fillings ham, mayonnaise, chicken or mustard can be used. Other common things are onions, pepper, bread crumbs, and cheese.

Diriakdjondjon

Diriakdjondjon is an extravagant dish of Haiti which is saved especially for holidays or special occasions like marriages. This dish is made by a special type of mushroom djondjon, till they secrete a black liquid which can be used for cooking rice. Once black rice is made, it is added to the spicy blend of shrimp, chicken, carrots, and beans. The result is so delicious that it is considered a delicacy and is not made on an everyday basis.

Bouillon Soup

As the name suggests it is a warm soup, preferred on rainy days. It can be made with many types of vegetables and meat. Bouyon beef as the name suggests includes beef, bouyon poule has chicken fillings. For fillings, chunks of potato can be used or in some cases, sweet plants can be used. Soup can be made in any way but the fact remains the same that it is served to boil hot because the name bouillon is derived from the word boil.

Lambi

It is a historical dish of Haiti, made from the conch which was also used as the horn in the past to warn people of dangers from revolutionaries or slaves.  After the shell of the conch is cracked, the meat inside becomes tasty and grilled with butter. There are not so many places in the world where conch is reproduced and farmed for food. That’s why Lambi is a rare delicacy because it can only be found in Haiti. If you like seafood, then Lambi made from conch shell is a special dish for you. Lambi is made from the meat of fresh conch because if you freeze, it will lose its tenderness. Other ingredients of this dish are herbs, cloves, garlic, peppers, and onions.

Riz National

This Haitian dish is so popular in Haiti that its name means national rice. This dish of Haiti is made of rice with red kidney beans. Toppings can be changed for taste, flavor, or texture. Different restaurants in Haiti make Riz in different ways like topped with veggie or meat.

Griot

Pork washed with orange juice and then fried is the basic process to make a griot. In the past meat was washed with orange juice because of the shortage of water and then slowly it becomes the trend. This is a tasty way to wash your meat and it also adds some tinge to the meat.

At the starting of this blog, we had promised that we will share the top 10 dishes of Haiti with you along with some of the common and most liked drinks in Haiti. We are now sharing some of them here for your experience.

Rhum

Rum of Haiti is very famous but most people don’t realize that actual drink liked there is Rhum not Rum. Rhum is special as it is made from sugarcane juice, not molasses, which enhances its flavor and makes it lighter. Rhum available in Haiti is available in many tastes, including dark and white rhum that are aged differently.

Akasan

Akasan is a mix of smoothie and milkshake. This drink is made with milk, sugar, vanilla and it is thick and sweet. Flour is also mixed in it by some Haitian. Akasan with flour can be taken as a meal substitute rather than just a snack. Depending on the season it can be served either cold or hot.

Cola Couronne

A substitute for coca-cola in Haiti is cola couronne. A very popular soft drink in Haiti that is very easily available in all places from vending machines to restaurants. The cola can only be found in plastic glasses or glass bottles. Aluminum in Haiti is very rare so you will not see any cola cans in this country. There are many cola flavors found in Haiti like orange, banana, or pineapple.

These are some of the most liked dishes of Haiti and drinks you can found in Haiti. The food in Haiti is a blend of Caribbean, Spanish and French influences, you will never know what you will get in your cuisine in Haiti. This is what made the food of Haiti so exciting.

So, we wish you the best of luck for visiting Haiti to make your own list of the dishes you liked there and then share with us.