Haitians often commemorate Independence Day on January 1 by eating soup joumou. While rebellion was ongoing throughout slavery, the Revolution began in 1791 and by 1804, Haitians had wrested control from the French. Black people in Haiti had been forbidden from eating soup joumou during enslavement, as the dish was a delicacy. Upon independence, the dish became a symbol for Black Haitians' freedom. This is my take on it.
This recipe was excerpted from ‘The Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food.’
Editor’s note: We’ve updated the name and byline of this dish, and changed the headnote to match the excerpted recipe, which is chef Marcus Samuelsson's take on Haitian soup joumou, from Samuelsson’s cookbook ‘The Rise.’ We apologize for misrepresenting this recipe.