Haitian

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Soup Joumou (Squash and Beef Soup)

Haiti's independence soup: beef rubbed with lime and marinated in épis is simmered tender, squash is boiled apart and blended smooth to thicken the broth, then potato, carrot, cabbage and thin pasta go in. It is eaten on New Year's Day.

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Pikliz (Pickled Cabbage and Scotch Bonnet Relish)

Haiti's pickle of cabbage and carrot held in vinegar with scotch bonnet chillies. Capsaicin dissolves in fat, not water, so in a vinegar with almost no fat it moves across very slowly. A jar made yesterday is mild and a month-old jar is fierce, and the liquid itself becomes a hot sauce spooned over rice.

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Griot (Braised-then-Fried Pork with Pikliz)

Haiti's national dish: pork marinated in épis, simmered until it gives, then lifted out and deep-fried so only the outside crusts. Braise first and fry second is the whole technique — fried from raw, the outside burns while the inside stays tough.