Today my dear sister sent me on a mission! Ok it was a grocery run, but by the time I was done, I felt like I’d accomplished some sort of mission…
My morning started off with 5 texts messages from my sister (back to back) of a list of items we will need to make the famous soup joumou. After bribing Tristan on NOT coming with me (it’s freaking -15°C outside and he walks like he has boots made of cement), I made my way to Centre de viandes LaSenza. OMG someone please remind me to NEVER, EVER go there two days before New Year’s Eve (or any other big holidays for that matter). The place was PACKED! I mean I got there around 2 pm and number 33 was being called out and my ticket read 88. After I got my beef cube and stocked up of some other yummy goodies, I made my way next door to the vegetable store in search of “yam”. We are not big “yam” eaters at our house (once a year maybe), and when we do eat it, my sister is the one that buys and cooks it. So I was a bit surprised by how many different type of “yams” there was.
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| There’s like 4 different kinds here!!!!! WHELP |
But this post is NOT about yam, or how crazy busy the meat place was, it’s about soup, soup joumou to be precise. Come January 1st, every single one of my Haitian friends likes to brag about having soup joumou. I won’t lie, I’m always jealous of the thought of them downing that amazing goodness for 3 days straight. Back when we lived in Florida with my uncle’s family, we would have soup joumou till we hated it and then crave it again come the next year. It’s a love and hate relationship when it comes to soup joumou and only if you’ve been raised on it would you truly understand just how deep our love for this soup is. It’s a special soup and it is solely reserved for the first of the year. No one in their right mind would make soup joumou any other days in the year. That would be…weird, totally unheard of!!!
This year my sister is making us some for the first time. I’m excited! To be perfectly honest, the only thing I do know for sure (without looking it up on Google) is that the soup is consumed on the first of the year to celebrate Haitian independence and it is freaking delicious. For those of you not fortunate enough to have had some of the golden elixirs, I’m sorry! You might want to make some Haitian friends for the next year, or you can always YouTube the recipe (that’s what my sister is going to do hehehehe).
If you want to learn more on what soup joumou is all about, I invite you to come back on January 1st to read all about our homemade soup and it’s history. It will be our first year making it our self so I hope you can all come back and share the experience with us!
What do you plan on doing for New Year? Love to hear from you!
I’m sure this homemade soup is going to be delicious and will hit the spot in this cold weather. I can’t wait to hear all about it.
Sounds good. Traditional dishes are usually very good and I think I’m going to research about this soup joumou.
Good luck to your sister that she gets it right 🙂
It sounds like an interesting soup, I love yams so I am sure I would love it!
It sounds amazing, I will have to look it up. I’m sure everyone would love it. Thanks!
You’re the best Marielle. You always make me smile. Your posts are so creative. I have to try some Soup Joumou. I’ll be in Vietnam in February and that when they celebrate The New Year. Nothing but great food everywhere… I can’t wait. Have a wonderful and Prosperous New Year!
The homemade soup sounds delicous! Have a safe and Happy New Year!
Can’t wait to hear what that soup has in it! 3 Days straight? Well–I did go on the cabbage soup diet ONCE–ate cabbage soup for 7 days straight–never again–1 day is more then enough!
we ended up finishing it all in one day! It was THAT good lol plus there was 4 of us heheh
I never heard of Soup Joumou, This sounds like its gonna taste good! homemade soup mmm-mmm-good!
Soup is perfect on a cold winter’s day and there is honestly nothing like homemade soup. We aren’t a big soup family, but every now and then a good soup hits the spot.
I love learning of other cultures traditions. I can not wait to hear how the soup turns out. Have a great holiday.
I have never heard of this. Your pics are funny, and I am checking tomorrow to see what this is all about.
Oh I have never heard of this soup, but I can’t wait to see it when it arrives! Sounds fantastic!
Its sounds really good! I have never heard it it before, even though i worked in soup kitchen a long time ago..
Can’t wait to hear more about the soup. It sounds very interesting.
Lol, love those photos. Never heard of it, but sounds yummy!
Now you’ve got me completely intrigued about this Soup Joumou. I’m feeling hungry enough as it is, but now I’m wanting to try some of this stuff.
As a foodie I really look forward to seeing your recipe, I never heard of soup Joumou
Okay see… You are not right! I’ve never had this soup and I wart some now. I love yams, so it has to be amazing. I can’t wait to read the recap!
I’ve never heard of this soup. For those of us with a Hispanic background, it’s tamales at the first of the year. It another one of those foods that you only make around the holidays.
I have never heard of Soup Joumou and am looking forward to reading all about it.
Now I wanna try that soup. Sounds pretty yummy!
I love tradition on special holidays and this sounds like a delicious one! It brings connection to your past, your family, your culture…what could be better!!
Wishing you and your family a HEALTHY, Happy, Prosperous 2014!!
Lol. I will remember to stay in close to the holidays. I am not into big crowd either.
i love eating soup on cold days and this sounds delicious can’t wait to see the out come and to see your recipe
I love soup so I can’t wait to see what this is all about. I love learning about cultural foods. Happy New Year. We are having a quiet one at our home.
Happy new year to you Marielle
I sure will try to make this soup this winter.
I have actually had that soup in the Caribbean when on vacation. Not able to get them where I currently live but its pretty good. Never heard it called by that name but I guess everyone has a different name for it. Happy New Year!
Bribe to not go to the store… classic! I will have to try that next time. I just have the list on the fridge. If you need something and it’s not on the list you will not get it. No kids in the store because impulse buys kill my budget.
Can’t wait to hear more about your soup.
I’ve not heard of this before, but I am interested. What makes it so yummy and WHY does it take 3 days to cook? I’ll be reading the next post, for sure!
i was not sure what joumou really is but love soups for winter for sure.
haha The pictures made me laugh! This sounds really great, I’d love to try it
Well now I wish I lived near someone who made that soup so I could try it. I’m TOTALLY intrigued!
I’ve never heard of sou joumou before! Sounds interesting!
Haha! I love the memes. I’ve never heard of this soup before, but I bet it will taste delish!
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This soup looks awesome!! I need to try this recipe myself I had never heard of Soup Joumou before. I am sharing now:)