Soup Joumou, Pumpkin Soup, is a staple Haitian dish that carries major significance to the history of the Haitian people. Pumpkin, and dishes that were created from it, were considered a delicacy and as such enslaved Haitians were not allowed to eat any of it.
When the Haitian people went on to free themselves from slavery after completeing many large scale rebellions, Soup Joumou became the symbol of Independence and a last slap in the face to the slave owners as the once enslaved nation became the first Black Republic in history. Every year since January 1, 1804, Haitians all over honor the courage and bravery of those who came before them with festivities and of course, Soup Joumou.
INGREDIENTS
Due to how near and dear it is to tradition and culture, Soup Joumou recipes can vary depending on the cook. The yield (portion) serves around ten to twelve people. While the cooking time takes up to 2-3 hours, this exquisite cuisine may need some prep time overnight. Take a look at the ingredients to begin the home-made process:
PREPARATION
Place Beef into a boil with vinegar and lime juice mix it by hand thoroughly. Once complete, rinse out with water. Put Epis(Homemade Marinade), squeeze lime, Sazon, and salt into the bowl with the beef and toss/mix thoroughly. Let the mix marinate for at least 30 minutes to an hour. It’s better to sit overnight.
Prepare a pot with broth and add marinated beef and let boil until the meat begins to soften (35- 40 minutes.) Add squash to the pot with beef after it has softened and cook squash for 20–25 minutes. Remove the squash from the pot and blend with 4 cups of broth until the texture is smooth.
Pour Squash puree back into the beef and let simmer for 10 minutes. Get flour to create dumplings — this step is purely optional. In a mixing bowl mix all-purpose flour, salt, and a pinch of pepper together. Add some water until dough becomes slightly stiff, making sure the surface does not harden.
Using your hands, roll a piece of the dough into desired size and plop them into the soup. Add the potatoes, cabbage, carrots, onions, celery, leek, turnips, and thin Spaghetti and let simmer for 15 minutes. Once they have softened, although not enough to break add cloves and other seasonings of choice such as garlic powder, onion powder, salt, or even all purpose seasoning.
Add a twisted sprig of parsley or thyme with a tablespoon of butter and let boil until pasta and vegetables are tender which take about 30–35 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings if need be. For any Vegan or Vegetarian alternatives simply remove beef and butter or any other ingredients of choice and the Soup still works since it’s the pumpkin that brings it together.
With the freshly made Soup Joumou at hand, eat to your content and, of course, enjoy this Happy New Year!
