Joumou soup: the recipe to make with the kids for January 1st

On January 1st, in every Haitian family, both in Haiti and in the diaspora, everyone eats soup joumou. It is much more than a soup: it is the soup of independence. And it is the perfect dish to pass on the history of Haiti to your children… while cooking with them.

Here is the recipe for soup joumou, with each step showing what the child can do and what is left for the adult.

Why do we eat soup joumou on January 1st?

Before 1804, during colonization, giraumon soup was reserved for the colonists: the enslaved people prepared it but were not allowed to eat it. On January 1, 1804, the day of Haiti's independence, the free people ate soup joumou to celebrate their freedom. Since then, every January 1st, it is shared with family, neighbors, and friends.

In 2021, soup joumou was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

A word in Creole: joumou. This is the giraumon, a large squash with orange flesh that gives the soup its color and sweetness.

The ingredients (6 to 8 people)

• 1 piece of giraumon or butternut squash (approx. 1.5 kg)
• 700 g of soup beef (chuck or shank)
• 2 to 3 tablespoons of epis
• 2 limes
• 2 carrots
• 2 potatoes
• ¼ of a green cabbage
• 1 turnip
• 1 leek
• 1 celery stalk
• 1 onion and 2 cloves of garlic
• 150 g of pasta (macaroni or broken spaghetti)
• A few sprigs of thyme and parsley, 2 cloves
• 1 whole scotch bonnet pepper (optional)
• Salt, pepper, 1 knob of butter

The day before: the marinade

1. Adult: cut the meat into pieces.
2. Child: squeeze the limes and pour the juice over the meat. The adult rinses the meat with this juice, as per tradition.
3. Together: add the epis and mix with a spoon. Cover and leave in the refrigerator until the next day.

No epis at home? Our Haitian epis recipe to make with children takes 15 minutes to prepare, with no cooking involved.

The big day: the soup

1. Adult: cook the meat in a large pot of water (about 3 liters) for 1 hour, over medium heat.
2. Child: wash the vegetables. With a peeler and an adult nearby, older children can peel the carrots.
3. Adult: cut the giraumon into pieces and cook it for 20 minutes in a little water. Blend it into a puree and pour it into the pot.
4. Adult: chop the carrots, potatoes, turnip, leek, celery, and cabbage.
5. Child: put the chopped vegetables in a bowl and count them: how many different colors?
6. Adult: add the vegetables, onion, garlic, thyme, parsley, cloves, and the whole pepper (without piercing it, to add flavor without making it too spicy). Let cook for 30 minutes.
7. Child: break the spaghetti into small pieces over a bowl.
8. Adult: add the pasta and butter, let cook for another 10 minutes, remove the pepper, and adjust the seasoning.
9. Together: serve in large bowls and tell the story of January 1, 1804, while the soup cools down a little.

Tips for cooking soup joumou with children

• The stove is for the adult: the soup cooks for a long time and stays very hot. The child participates in everything done at the table.
• Share it: tradition dictates that you bring some to neighbors and family. Let your child give away a bowl; it’s a wonderful memory.
• Learn the words: joumou (giraumon/squash), vyann (meat), kawot (carrot), pen (bread). A little vocabulary game while it cooks.

More Haitian recipes for children

Want to keep going all year round? Ti Chef – My first Haitian cookbook brings together 37 easy recipes, from epis to pen patat (sweet potato bread), designed for children aged 6 to 12. Each step specifies who does what, every recipe notes allergens, and a Creole word accompanies each dish. The e-book is available in French, English, and Kreyòl.

Discover Ti Chef e-books →

Happy New Year and happy soup joumou to the whole family!