what to eat in haiti lady markets

The ingredients used to create this cuisine are typical, yet the preparation is the key to making Haiti food so unique.

If you’re wondering what to eat in Haiti, don’t miss these 10 popular Haitian foods.

10 Best Foods from Haiti You Need to Try

1) Poulet aux noix chicken (chicken and cashew nuts)

Poulet aux noix is a tasty dish with a delightful chicken and cashew flavour. The chicken is marinated, steamed, then pan-fried with diced tomatoes, onions, and tomato paste. 

Cashew nuts are boiled to softness and added to the sauce created from the onions, tomatoes and chicken.

Typically, it’s served over a bed of white rice. This meal has to be at the top of your list of what to eat in Haiti.

what to eat in haiti chicken cashew stew
Foods from Haiti – Chicken Cashew Stew Photo Credit: indigogo.com

2) Tassot (Dried fried meat)

Tassot is a traditional Haitian dish made with beef or goat meat as the main protein. The meat is cubed and then usually marinated in a mixture of orange juice, lemon juice and onions.

The meat is fried until it forms a crispy exterior. The dish is typically served with rice, fried plantains and beans. The best part is the spicy sauce served on the side. 

3) Legim (Stew)

Legim is one of the most popular Haitian dishes and is sometimes referred to as simply Haitian food legume. It also has many variations regarding the ingredients used to prepare the dish.

Legim (which translates to legumes or vegetables) usually contains a mixture of vegetables, including green beans, cabbage, eggplant, watercress, squash and carrots.

These are all cooked with the meat (regularly beef) and then mashed together.

Across Haiti, the stew is traditionally prepared on Saturdays. It is often accompanied by rice or cornmeal. Remember this dish when you’re searching for what to eat in Haiti. 

what to eat in haiti legim stew
What to Eat in Haiti – Legim Stew Photo Credit: Punchfork.com

4) Kalalou Djondjon – Okra & Black Mushroom Stew pwason

This complex, yet simple dish takes hours of prepping and cooking, but it is certainly worth the wait! This dish also has one of those quirky Haitian food names. You’ll notice a few more as you go through our list of foods from Haiti that you need to try.

The stew’s flavour is a perfect infusion of crab, djondjon (black mushroom), fresh okra and chunks of pork.

Now Haitians love to add a chilli kick to their dishes. This dish and other Haiti food you’ll taste are likely to be a little spicy. If you are lucky enough to be invited into a Haitian home or have friends that are willing to cook this dish for you, take up the offer! 

5) Pwason Boukannen grilled fish

What is Haiti’s famous food? I asked this question to the Haitians working at the hotel I stayed in Cap Haitien, and they told me it was grilled fish!

RELATED POST – Best Things to do in Cap Haitien, Haiti

Fresh fish is served in many restaurants and cafes across Haiti. It is commonly served alongside chips and salad or rice and fried plantain. If you enjoy eating spicy food like me, ask for a little extra pikliz to go on top. Another popular way to cook fresh fish in Haiti is to fry it, whole!

The preparation is to first clean the fish, then pat them dry to reduce any moisture. Score the flesh of the fish on both sides and then cover it in a dusting of seasoned flour. Spices such as garlic and onion powders, dried thyme and parsley, chilli powder, black pepper and salt are commonly used.

Next, shake off any excess flour and plunge the fish into a deep pan with heated vegetable oil. Depending on the size of the fish, once it has a golden outer crust and the flesh has turned opaque, it’s ready.

Again, a fresh and spicy condiment would be drizzled over the fish and enjoyed. Delicious!

What to eat in Haiti grilled fish
Foods from Haiti that are consistently tasty – Grilled fish

6) Boullion Soup

Wondering what to eat in Haiti on a rainy day? Look no further, because boullion soup is a comforting and filling dish that really hits the spot.

This dish is a hearty stew that can be made with a variety of meats (typically beef or chicken) and vegetables.

It is sometimes served with small dumplings which are made by rolling the flour into a small amount of broth. You will commonly find sweet plantains and chunky pieces of potato in this soup too.

what to eat in haiti Boullion soup
Haiti food that you need to try. Haitian Bouillon soup. Photo Credit @Bouyon

7) Riz National (National Rice)

Many countries across Africa have their own spin on this dish. In Haiti, Riz National is one of the most popular and the most permanent. Some would argue that this is THE Haiti national dish that you cannot leave without trying it at least once. 

The base of the dish is made using rice and red kidney beans. It’s topped with ingredients that can be modified for flavour, colour, and texture.

In the home, the toppings would be whatever is on hand at the time. 

8) Lambi

Lambi, or conch in English, are seashell molluscs. They are otherwise known as sea snails. Across Haiti and particularly close to the coast, conch is best eaten grilled on the BBQ or soaked in butter and barbecued on high heat. You can also find sliced conch in Haitian salads and stews.

Click here for my favourite Lambi Stew recipe.

what to eat in haiti lambi
What to Eat in Haiti – Lambi

9) Pikliz

A Haitian condiment consists of pickled carrots, cabbage, bell peppers and Scotch bonnet peppers. I warned you that Haitians like to add a spicy kick to their food.

Pikliz is generally seasoned with garlic and onion and pickled in white vinegar. This spicy condiment is served alongside many Haitian dishes to add flavour and spice to the dish.

This Pikliz recipe by Epicurious is a winner.

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what to eat in haiti food pikliz
Pikliz – Put it on your ‘Haiti food’ list to eat. Photo Credit: Epicurious.com

10) Haitian patty

It’s the ultimate go-to snack when you don’t know what to eat in Haiti. The Haitian patty is a staple dish in this Caribbean nation. Simple foods from Haiti that local people adore.

The Haitian patty is a heavy pastry filled with spiced meats. Expect fillings such as chicken, beef, fish or turkey. The outer layers are flaky and crisp while the inside is softer.

This is the easiest street food snack available in Haiti and available everywhere. Want to try and cook them at home?

This Haitian patty recipe is a good one.

what to eat in haiti haitian patty
What to Eat in Haiti – Haitian patties

If you want to learn more about Haitian cuisine from home, these popular Haitian food recipes are fantastic.

Haitiancooking.com is another reliable website to find easy Haiti food recipes.

We hope you enjoyed our list of popular foods from Haiti. What Haitian dish would you add to this list?

Travel Tips for Africa

Weā€™ve got several comprehensive blogs about travelling in Africa ā€“ what a massive continent this is! Have you ever wondered, how many countries in Africa are there? 54 or 55?

We cover them in depth in our Ultimate Africa Bucket List, which covers the best things to do in every African country.

If youā€™re unfamiliar with this region’s cuisine, these 8 most delicious West African foods are unmissable. And for the food lovers, check out our Africa Food Map – An African Food Guide to every nation!

But if you’re wondering which countries have the best food, our Top 10 Best Food Countries in Africa are for you. It’s not an easy list to compile when there are so many nations to consider, but we finally narrowed it down to just ten.

If you need a little help with packing for Africa, we’ve got you covered! Our Complete Packing List for Africa has all of the essentials for your adventures.

You’ll need to stay connected while travelling in Africa. We recommend eSIM. It’s easy, reliable and affordable. View eSIMs for travel in Africa here. If you plan to visit multiple African countries in one trip, consider buying a Regional Africa eSIM.

Searching for information about a specific African country, head to our AFRICA page and select the country you’re curious about.

And before you go, it’s worth reading these 17 ESSENTIAL Things to know before travelling to West Africa. We spent the majority of 2019 travelling overland through many countries across Africa, what a journey it was!

Read more about it all in a summary of our overland adventures in West Africa.

Finally, to read about our best-ever travel tips, the travel gear we use on the road, and the website we recommend, visit our Travel Resources Page.