Folks,
To celebrate the New Year in Haiti everyone – EVERYONE – eats a rich pumpkin soup called Soup Joumou. Recipes include various mixtures of pumpkin (always), spices, vegetables, meat, pasta, and plantains.
The tradition is that the soup was part of the freedom celebrations in 1804 when Haiti became a republic. It was a significant symbol of freedom because the French had considered it a delicacy and prohibited Haitians from eating it.
We often write about Freedom Soup at New Year but this year is very exciting because UNESCO, the United Nations’ cultural agency, designated Haitian Freedom Soup as an item of Intangible Cultural Heritage! This news came earlier in December and was a Big Deal here in Haiti. Everyone was very proud and delighted. It was the talk of the Christmas season.
Michael Anello, Executive Director
