New Year’s Day is one of the most exciting days of the year for me. Not just because it means the start of a new year, or because it means a new you (and the start of a resolution you’ll probably make in a month’s time). No, it’s because you can enjoy a large bowl of soup.
Soup Joumou is a slightly sweet and very delicious pumpkin soup that originated in Haiti. Soups are made with either calabaza squash, butternut squash, or pumpkin as a base. Lots of root vegetables such as carrots, potatoes, and turnips. It is seasoned with epis, a blend of chili peppers, garlic, and herbs found in most Haitian dishes. And it’s topped with some form of carbohydrate. Each Haitian household and chef has their own recipes and cooking methods. Many people prefer to use rigatoni as their carbohydrate choice, while others choose spaghetti. Some people use rice, the main ingredient in Haitian cuisine, in their soups instead of pasta. Some Haitian chefs and home cooks prefer to make their soups vegetarian, while others, like my mother, use both beef and chicken.
“Many of us think of Soup Jomou as just this special thing,” says author, chef and owner Nadège Fleurimont. Bunnan and Fleurimond Catering in Brooklyn. “It varies depending on the family.”
No matter how different each cup, bowl, or pot of soup may be, one thing remains the same. That is, soup joumou means freedom.
On January 1, 11804, Haiti became the first black republic in the Western Hemisphere. It was the result of a 13-year revolution in which enslaved Haitians fought and overthrew their French masters. For nearly three centuries, France and Spain had enslaved the indigenous Taíno people of Hispaniola (the landmass of Haiti and the Dominican Republic) and captured Africans. The Taíno population was decimated by disease, war, and forced labor. Africans who migrated to Saint-Domingue (now Haiti) were similarly devastated by chattel slavery, the region’s main economic force. In 1791, enslaved Haitians led by General Toussaint Louverture began a revolt against Napoleon Bonaparte and his slaves. This 13-year battle, now known as the Haitian Revolution, had ripple effects throughout the Western Hemisphere, including Bonaparte’s next decision. sell louisiana That was the beginning of Haiti’s sovereignty.
To celebrate their newfound independence, Haitians began indulging in things their slaves had forbidden, such as soup jomou. Under French rule, enslaved Haitians were required to harvest ingredients and prepare soups, but they were never allowed to eat soup jeumou, as it was a delicacy reserved for white slaves. When Haiti gained independence on January 1, 1804, Haitians across the country began a new tradition. Every year, we eat soup on New Year’s Day, which is Haiti’s Independence Day.
This story of triumph, celebration, and pioneering is one that I and many other Haitians and their descendants grew up hearing. Soup Jomou provided an easy tool to learn about Haitian history that wasn’t always taught in school. When I was a child, my mother would receive pots of soup from friends and family every year. As my sister and I gathered around the pot, bowls in hand, preparing my mother’s ladle to serve us the much-awaited dish, my mother told us that the soup cup was a symbol of our freedom. And it reminded us of how hard our ancestors worked for it.
The sharing of Soup Jomou, and the resulting history of Haiti, is a time-honored tradition preserved by Haitians around the world. “In our neighborhood [growing up in Haiti]Families would swap soups,” says Wesley Jean Simon, chef-owner of the Brooklyn restaurant. John John and market bar. “Someone would come and pick up the bowl, then I would go take the bowl from the mother to another family, and then we would all exchange soup.”
In the United States, Haitians share soup with their communities, whether they are Haitian or not. When we spoke, Fleurimond had just finished filming a soup jomo tutorial for her social channels to demystify this difficult dish. He will serve as host on December 26th. Live Soup Joumou Cooking Class in Brooklyn in partnership with Little Haiti BK. In addition to teaching others how to make soup, Fleurimond also makes soup for her non-Haitian family and friends. “I think it’s incumbent upon us as Haitians to continue to share information.” [soup joumou]” says Fleurimond.
For the past five years, Simon has been giving away the soup for free at his restaurant. We’re also taking some to local hospitals and police stations to show our appreciation for essential pieces. Last year, he distributed 900 bowls of soup to the community. This year we hope to reach 2,000. For the free soup distribution, his focus is on providing a small piece of home to Haitian immigrants who may be struggling with food insecurity and non-Haitians who have never been exposed to Haitian food before. Divided. “I know the Haitians are going to come and get it anyway,” he says. “But I focus on non-Haitians because they are part of Haiti’s history and I want the world to remember our history.”
When I left home after graduating from college, my mother made a large pot of soup and brought the pot to my apartment on New Year’s Day, giving me enough for me to share with friends. He did. The first year I shared the bounty with my roommates, neither of whom were of Haitian descent, so I made sure to share the storied history of this dish with them. Now, every year, even early on Thanksgiving, my roommate asks me, “Is my mom bringing soup soup again?” One of them even told a colleague that her family does not have the custom of celebrating New Year’s Day, but she was looking forward to eating her mother’s soup joumou with me. “That’s the beauty of this piece,” Fleurimond says. “Soup soup is becoming part of other people’s traditions.”
