Today is January 1st, 2011.
Squash Soup Galore In My Kitchen!
I started up early. My family will probably have squash soup all day.
My mom called from Miami yesterday. She wanted me to drive five and a half hours to share her squash soup.
Here, at home, my husband is complaining that I did not add enough hot pepper in his soup.
And my kids want to know if we're gonna have just squash soup all day.
It's independence day in Haiti.
Most Haitians everywhere are enjoying squash soup in their kitchens to commemorate their country's independence.
Did you know this has been a tradition in the history of Haiti since 1804?
Squash soup is a delicacy that the slaves of Haiti were not allowed to have until after the final slave revolt of 1803.
For Haitians, if you don't have squash soup, it wouldn't feel like January 1st.
Even my little brother told me that while he was stationed in Iraq a couple years ago he and his Haitian friends truly missed the squash soup on January 1st, "It was a bleak day without that soup," he said.
I remember being in Wikes-Barre, Pennsylvania one year, on a very snowy New Year's Eve with no squash in sight. My husband would not negotiate his squash soup. He and snow just don't mix. But he did brave the snow that night and went on the search for a squash. Later he came back with a box of frozen cooked squash from a Publix market. He dropped the frozen brick on the kitchen counter, and said, "Make me my soup, please." Then he went back under the covers to get warm.
The common ingredients in squash soup are: beef chunks or neck bones (turkey or chicken if you don't eat red meat), (noodles if you're a vegetarian), celery, potatoes, radishes, carrots, olive oil, a couple of cabbage leaves or chayote and of course squash (the squash is boiled, blended, poured in the soup and gives it a yellowish color). Don't forget the hot pepper (if you can tolerate it). ...If you're a good cook you can mix that up to produce a delicious meal. It can be served with toast. I'll take mine with a crunchy turkey sandwich on fresh country bread and a glass of champagne, in the name of the first black republic.
The story of Haiti is one of courage and bravery. Slaves, brought from different parts of Africa to an island, fought for their independence and won. They did not all speak the same language. They spoke different dialects. The Creole language developped as they communicated with one another.
In Haitian Creole you'll hear a mixture of French, Spanish, English and various dialects.
When I attended school as a child in Haiti, it was very rare to find a book written in Creole. We did have books of songs and poems in Creole. For the majority of our schoolwork, the language of instruction was French. When we did write in Creole, we sounded out the words using various spelling. All that have changed now; and it's still changing. Haitian scholars continue to make great strides in standardizing the spelling of the language.
In 1987, Creole was made the official language of Haiti. French is now the second language of the country since more than 90% of written material is still in French.
There are now many books written in Haitian Creole. Mothers and fathers can now read to their children by the little gas lamp, in the language they understand.
There has never been a better time to learn this language!
Hats off! Ochan! Onè Respè! to all our Haitian writers.
Keep the language alive!
Happy Independence day! - Bònn fèt lendepandans!
Multiple choice questions
1. The Haitian Creole word for the vegetable squash is
a. zepina
b. joumou
c. sitwon
2. To express admiration for someone in Haitian Creole, I might say,
a. dakò!
b. anfòm!
c. ochan!
3. Haiti was declared a free republic in what year?
a. 1803
b. 1804
c. 1492
4. Before 1987, what was Haiti's official language?
a. French
b. Haitian Creole
c. Spanish
5. If you're typing on a computer, what keys would you press to produce the accented o such as this, "ò"
a. alt 138
b. alt 149
c. alt 131
Thanks for participating. The answers to these questions are below.
Answers: 1 b, 2 c, 3 b, 4 a, 5 b.
Squash Soup Galore In My Kitchen!
I started up early. My family will probably have squash soup all day.
My mom called from Miami yesterday. She wanted me to drive five and a half hours to share her squash soup.
Here, at home, my husband is complaining that I did not add enough hot pepper in his soup.
And my kids want to know if we're gonna have just squash soup all day.
It's independence day in Haiti.
Most Haitians everywhere are enjoying squash soup in their kitchens to commemorate their country's independence.
Did you know this has been a tradition in the history of Haiti since 1804?
Squash soup is a delicacy that the slaves of Haiti were not allowed to have until after the final slave revolt of 1803.
For Haitians, if you don't have squash soup, it wouldn't feel like January 1st.
Even my little brother told me that while he was stationed in Iraq a couple years ago he and his Haitian friends truly missed the squash soup on January 1st, "It was a bleak day without that soup," he said.
I remember being in Wikes-Barre, Pennsylvania one year, on a very snowy New Year's Eve with no squash in sight. My husband would not negotiate his squash soup. He and snow just don't mix. But he did brave the snow that night and went on the search for a squash. Later he came back with a box of frozen cooked squash from a Publix market. He dropped the frozen brick on the kitchen counter, and said, "Make me my soup, please." Then he went back under the covers to get warm.
The common ingredients in squash soup are: beef chunks or neck bones (turkey or chicken if you don't eat red meat), (noodles if you're a vegetarian), celery, potatoes, radishes, carrots, olive oil, a couple of cabbage leaves or chayote and of course squash (the squash is boiled, blended, poured in the soup and gives it a yellowish color). Don't forget the hot pepper (if you can tolerate it). ...If you're a good cook you can mix that up to produce a delicious meal. It can be served with toast. I'll take mine with a crunchy turkey sandwich on fresh country bread and a glass of champagne, in the name of the first black republic.
The story of Haiti is one of courage and bravery. Slaves, brought from different parts of Africa to an island, fought for their independence and won. They did not all speak the same language. They spoke different dialects. The Creole language developped as they communicated with one another.
In Haitian Creole you'll hear a mixture of French, Spanish, English and various dialects.
When I attended school as a child in Haiti, it was very rare to find a book written in Creole. We did have books of songs and poems in Creole. For the majority of our schoolwork, the language of instruction was French. When we did write in Creole, we sounded out the words using various spelling. All that have changed now; and it's still changing. Haitian scholars continue to make great strides in standardizing the spelling of the language.
In 1987, Creole was made the official language of Haiti. French is now the second language of the country since more than 90% of written material is still in French.
There are now many books written in Haitian Creole. Mothers and fathers can now read to their children by the little gas lamp, in the language they understand.
There has never been a better time to learn this language!
Hats off! Ochan! Onè Respè! to all our Haitian writers.
Keep the language alive!
Happy Independence day! - Bònn fèt lendepandans!
Way to go Haiti!
Here is a link to find the recipe for squash soup (also called pumkin soup) : http://sweetcoconuts.blogspot.com/2011/07/pumpkin-soup-also-called-soup-joumou.html
______________________________________Multiple choice questions
1. The Haitian Creole word for the vegetable squash is
a. zepina
b. joumou
c. sitwon
2. To express admiration for someone in Haitian Creole, I might say,
a. dakò!
b. anfòm!
c. ochan!
3. Haiti was declared a free republic in what year?
a. 1803
b. 1804
c. 1492
4. Before 1987, what was Haiti's official language?
a. French
b. Haitian Creole
c. Spanish
5. If you're typing on a computer, what keys would you press to produce the accented o such as this, "ò"
a. alt 138
b. alt 149
c. alt 131
Thanks for participating. The answers to these questions are below.
Answers: 1 b, 2 c, 3 b, 4 a, 5 b.
I love your blog!! Probably because I love the Haitian people so much and your writing gives me a sweet taste of their rich culture while teaching me their language. Thank you!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Rochelle & God bless you!
ReplyDelete