Soup Joumou (Haitian Freedom Soup)

It's a celebration of community and Haitian pride.

By
Elsy Dinvil
Elsy Dinvil in a bright yellow shirt standing in a grocery store holding 3 jars of pikliz
Elsy Dinvil
Elsy Dinvil is a published author, recipe developer, and the owner of Creole Me Up, a line of plant-based, allergen-free sauces and condiments inspired by Haitian cuisine.
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Updated on 02/20/24
Three bowls of soup joumou (Haitian freedom soup), garnished with croutons

The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

Prep: 60 mins
Cook: 2 hrs 50 mins
Marination Time: 4 hrs
Total: 7 hrs 50 mins
Servings: 8 to 10 servings
Yield: 18 cups

On January 1, 1804, Haitians declared independence from the French colonial empire following the Haitian Revolution that began in 1791. Between 1697 to 1791, the French imported 800,000 enslaved people from Africa to work on one of the richest islands in the world, Santo Domingo (the modern Haiti), and maintain their wealth. Santo Domingo was France’s richest colony, exporting tobacco, sugar cane, and cotton all over the world.

The History of Soup Joumou

Enslaved Africans also cultivated squash or joumou, which they used to prepare soup joumou for their French masters but which they themselves were never allowed to eat. The soup was a symbol of status, and to maintain their superiority over the black African slaves and challenge their humanity, the French humiliated them by banning them from consuming it.

On that historic day in January, 1804, to celebrate their newly found freedom, the freed slaves prepared and ate the same soup joumou or pumpkin soup. Today, Haitians everywhere eat soup joumou, which is now called Haitian freedom soup, on January 1st to commemorate Haiti’s independence.

My Family’s Independence Day Celebrations

In our house when I was growing up, the air was different around Independence Day. My mother, who normally sold bread and peanut butter at the flea market every day, stayed home and would buy the best kabocha squash to make soup joumou for the new year and Independence Day celebrations. 

On New Year’s Eve, all of us, along with family members from the capital Port-au-Prince and from the countryside of Jérémie, would gather in the backyard to marinate beef bones and peel all the vegetables for the soup. Everyone else in the neighborhood did the same. Family members would crack impromptu jokes and others would follow, creating a fun, lighthearted ambience around the soup joumou prep. 

As a kid, I rarely understood the full meaning of these jokes. Occasionally, I joined the group laughing, and my mother would reprimand us kids saying “sé pa timoun nou yé?” “Aren’t you just kids?” wondering how we dared to laugh at the adults’ jokes. 

This ambience lasted until it was time to head to the kitchen to swé the meat (half-cook the beef bones and meat) before everyone got ready to head to the church vigil at ten o’clock, my youngest sister and I bouncing in our new dresses and shoes. The service often ended exactly at midnight. The adults kissed one another on the cheeks to wish each other a happy New Year, and my parents directed us children to go kiss our godmothers and godfathers on the cheeks out of respect. We often wouldn’t get home until around 1:30 in the morning. 

As soon as we got home, my mother would jump right back into soup preparations while most of us would go to bed for a few hours. She always cooked extra to send a hot bowl to our neighbors, members of the church who couldn’t afford to make the elaborate soup, and everyone who stopped by the house during the day to wish them a happy New Year with a bowl. 

Ah, the memories! I relive them as I write this. Soup joumou symbolized unity, community, and Haitian pride.

Tips for Making Soup Joumou

  • Most winter squashes will work—Use acorn, butternut, calabaza, kabocha, or any meaty squash to make the soup joumou. 
  • What is bouquet garni?—Bouquet garni in Haitian cuisine is parsley and thyme tied together. Use this blend in your soups and sauces for extra flavor.
  • Add liquid and seasoning to taste—Depending on the squash you use for the soup, you might need to add more vegetable stock, or hot water to the soup, and that is okay. Just adjust the flavor by adding a couple extra spoons of épis and/or salt.
  • Preparing the oxtails—Haitian cuisine calls for a lot of citrus, both to clean and marinate meats and to add to sauces; therefore, before marinating the meat for the soup, scrub it very well with fresh lime, vinegar, and salt before rinsing it. The essential oils in the lime peel will be transferred to the meat to add extra flavor. 
  • Make this soup with loved ones—Invite a group of friends to make the soup with you as a way to share conversations, reconnect with friends, and spend time with people you love.

"Soup joumou is a full-flavored, big-hearted soup meant to be shared. I used the oxtail cooking broth to make the soup, which gave it a gorgeous, silky texture and deep flavor. I had some épis left over, which I used to marinate some shrimp the next day." —Megan Scott

Golden soup joumou in a white bowl, showing pieces of carrot, turnip, celery, and oxtail
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

For the Épis (Marinade)

  • 1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

  • 1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

  • 1/4 bunch parsley, stems and all, chopped

  • 4 cloves garlic, chopped

  • 2 green onions, chopped

  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

  • 1 small shallot, chopped

  • 1 Scotch bonnet or habanero pepper, optional

  • 1 cup neutral oil, such as canola

  • 1/4 cup white or cider vinegar

  • 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

  • 1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce, optional

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons fine salt

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons black peppercorns

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons yellow mustard, optional

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

For the Oxtails

  • 3 pounds oxtails

  • 1 fresh lime, halved

  • 2 tablespoons white or cider vinegar

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons fine salt

  • 2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as canola

  • 3 bay leaves

  • 1 bouquet garni (4 stems each of parsley and thyme)

  • 8 cups warm water

For the Soup

  • 2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as canola

  • 1 yellow onion, finely chopped

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • 10 cups water

  • 1 bouquet garni (4 stems each of parsley and thyme)

  • 1 tablespoon fine salt

  • 5 cups cubed (3/4 to 1-inch) peeled and seeded butternut or calabaza squash

  • 1 zucchini, chopped

  • 2 carrots, peeled and chopped

  • 1 turnip, peeled and chopped

  • 1 celery stalk, chopped

  • 1/2 leek, well-cleaned and chopped

  • 1/2 cup elbow macaroni

  • 1/4 cup long-grain white rice

  • Croutons for serving, optional

Steps to Make It

Prepare the Epis and Cook the Oxtails

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for preparing the epis and the oxtails

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  2. Make the épis: Add 1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped, 1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped, 1/4 bunch of parsley, stems and all, chopped, 4 garlic cloves, chopped, 2 green onions, chopped, 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, 1 small shallot, chopped, and 1 optional scotch bonnet or habanero pepper to a blender.

    A blender pitcher with chopped green and red bell pepper, parsley, garlic, green onions, thyme, shallot, and a habanero pepper

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  3. Add 1 cup neutral oil, such as canola, 1/4 cup white or cider vinegar, 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, 1 tablespoon optional Tabasco sauce, 1 1/2 teaspoons fine salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons black peppercorns, 1 1/2 teaspoons optional yellow mustard, and 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves. Blend until smooth and set aside.

    A blender pitcher with a smooth puree of the pepper mixture, with oil, cider vinegar, lime juice, tabasco, salt, pepper, mustard, and ground cloves

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  4. Prepare the meat by scrubbing 3 pounds oxtails all over with 1 fresh lime, halved, 2 tablespoons white or cider vinegar, and 1 1/2 teaspoons fine salt.

    A cutting board of oxtails, rubbed with lime juice, vinegar, and salt

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  5. Rinse the meat very well with lots of water, then let the meat drain in a colander for 30 minutes.

    A colander of rinsed oxtails

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  6. Transfer the meat to a glass or stainless-steel bowl and pour 1 cup of épis on top, making sure all the pieces are covered (reserve the rest of the épis for the soup). Cover the bowl with a lid or wrap it with plastic and place it in the fridge. Let the meat marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.

    A large glass bowl of oxtails tossed in the epis (pepper-vinegar puree)

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  7. Cook the oxtails: Set a pot over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as canola. When the oil shimmers, shake any excess marinade off the oxtails (reserve the marinade) and add them to the pot in batches (don’t crowd the pan or the oxtails will steam instead of browning). Cook on one side until deeply browned, 4 to 5 minutes, then turn the oxtails and brown the second side, 3 to 4 minutes.

    A large pot with oxtails browning in oil

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  8. Set the browned oxtails on a plate and brown the remaining oxtails.

    A large pot of oxtails browning in oil, next to a plate of browned oxtails

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  9. Add the browned oxtails and their juices back to the pot along with the reserved marinade, 3 bay leaves, 1 bouquet garni (4 stems each parsley and thyme), and 8 cups warm water.

    A large pot of browned oxtails, water, the leftover epis marinade, bay leaves, and bouquet garni

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  10. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until the oxtails are tender. Use a slotted spoon to remove the oxtails from the liquid and set aside.

    A large plate of braised oxtails, next to a pot of braising liquid

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

Make the Soup

  1. Once the oxtails have cooked for 2 hours, gather the ingredients for the soup.

    Ingredients to make Haitian freedom soup (Soup Joumou)

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  2. Set a large pot over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as canola. Add 1 yellow onion, finely chopped and 2 garlic cloves, minced. Cook, stirring, until translucent, about 3 minutes.

    A lot pot of chopped onion and garlic cooking down in oil, being stirred with a wooden spoon

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  3. Add 10 cups water, 1 bouquet garni (4 stems each parsley and thyme), and 1 tablespoon fine salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 5 minutes.

    A large pot of chopped onion and garlic, with water, bouquet garni, and salt added

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  4. Add 5 cups cubed (3/4 to 1-inch) peeled and seeded butternut or calabaza squash, 1 zucchini, chopped, 2 carrots, peeled and chopped, 1 turnip, peeled and chopped, 1 celery stalk, chopped, and 1/2 leek, well-cleaned and chopped. Bring back to a simmer.

    A large pot with cubbed butternut squash, chopped zucchini, chopped carrots, chopped turnip, chopped celery, and chopped leek added

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  5. Add 1/2 cup of the reserved épis and the reserved cooked oxtails and let simmer for 5 minutes.

    A large pot with epis and braised oxtails added to the pot, being stirred with a wooden spoon

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  6. Fish out the pieces of cooked squash (if they are not yet tender, simmer them 5 more minutes) and place them in a blender. It's ok if there are a few pieces of leek, turnip, or other vegetables in the mix. Add 2 cups of the soup liquid to the blender, carefully blend until smooth, and pour it back into the soup. Stir very well.

    A large pot of soup with pureed butternut squash being stirred in with a wooden spoon

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  7. Add 1/2 cup elbow macaroni and 1/4 cup long-grain white rice to the soup and let them simmer on low to medium heat until tender, 10 to 12 minutes.

    A wooden spoon stirring in elbow macaroni and long grain rice into a pot of soup

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  8. Remove the bouquet garni and serve the soup with croutons on top or a piece of toast on the side.

    A bowl of Haitian freedom soup (soup joumou) garnished with croutons

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

How To Store

Refrigerate the cooled leftover soup in airtight containers for up to 4 days. Reheat over medium heat on the stovetop. Or freeze in plastic containers for up to 3 months to enjoy later. Let the soup thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then reheat gently on the stovetop.

Feeling Adventurous? Try This:

  • Use the oxtail cooking liquid for the soup—You can absolutely use the liquid the oxtails are cooked in for the soup, but it requires a little more work. After the oxtails are tender, transfer them to a dish and set aside. Strain the broth through a fine mesh sieve, then remove the fat with a gravy separator, by skimming it off the top, or allow the broth to cool completely and refrigerate it overnight. In the morning, the fat will have formed a solid layer on top that is very easy to remove. You should have about 4 cups of this stock. Add water to make up the difference for the soup.
  • Use canned pumpkin—You can experiment making the soup with canned pumpkin, although it’s not very Haitian to do so. The results will still be delicious. Instead of blending the squash, you’ll add the canned squash toward the beginning right after adding the water for the soup.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
391 Calories
27g Fat
23g Carbs
17g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8 to 10
Amount per serving
Calories 391
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 27g 34%
Saturated Fat 4g 22%
Cholesterol 47mg 16%
Sodium 917mg 40%
Total Carbohydrate 23g 8%
Dietary Fiber 6g 20%
Total Sugars 6g
Protein 17g
Vitamin C 56mg 282%
Calcium 107mg 8%
Iron 3mg 14%
Potassium 738mg 16%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)