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Haitian · Caribbean

Soup joumou

Non-vegetarian

A rich squash soup with beef, root vegetables, cabbage and pasta, eaten by Haitians on 1 January to mark independence. Thick, gently spiced and deeply comforting.

Soup joumou is a Haitian soup, ready in about 3 hours 30 minutes and made with beef chuck and pumpkin. It serves 8 and is rated intermediate to cook.

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Prep
30 min
Cook
2 h
Rest
1 h
Total
3 h 30 min
Serves
8
Level
Intermediate
Calories
281

Ingredients

8 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Rinse the beef with the lime (opens in a new tab) and water, then season with the garlic (opens in a new tab), parsley (opens in a new tab), spring onions (opens in a new tab), 1 tsp salt and the pepper (opens in a new tab). Cover and marinate in the fridge for 1 hour (or overnight).

    • 10 min

    Food safety: Marinate raw beef in the fridge.

    Meat coated in a spiced marinade in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Ip Photographer on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Put the beef in a large stockpot with 1 litre of the water, bring to a boil and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Meanwhile boil the squash in 1 litre of water until very soft, about 20 minutes. Blend the squash with its cooking water until smooth.

  4. Step 4

    Pour the squash purée into the beef with the remaining water. Add the potatoes (opens in a new tab), malanga, carrots (opens in a new tab), turnip (opens in a new tab), cabbage (opens in a new tab), celery (opens in a new tab), leek (opens in a new tab), onion (opens in a new tab), thyme (opens in a new tab), cloves (opens in a new tab), Scotch bonnet and remaining salt. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring often so it does not catch.

    • 30 min
    • medium-low heat

  5. Step 5

    Add the pasta (opens in a new tab) and cook until tender, about 12 minutes. Stir in the butter (opens in a new tab) and lime juice (opens in a new tab), remove the chilli and adjust the salt.

    • 12 min
    • medium heat
    Pasta boiling in a pot of water
    How it looks · Photo: Gianpiero Ferraro on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Haiti · Well documentedMore food from Haiti
Dish
Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner · Soups · Main courses
Cooking method
Simmered, Boiled, Blended
Taste
savoury, sweet, aromatic / warmly spiced, rich
Diet
No nut ingredients · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · High-protein · Low-fat · Calorie-conscious
With the listed swaps: No gluten ingredients, Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
One-pot · Festive & celebration · Batch cooking · Freezer-friendly
Cook more with
Beef chuck · Pumpkin · Lime · Garlic · Parsley · Spring onion
Techniques
Boiling · Simmering · Wet grinding · Marinating · Emulsification

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom butter
  • May contain: Eggsfrom dried pasta
  • Contains, can be adapted: Wheatfrom dried pasta
  • Contains, can be adapted: Glutenfrom dried pasta
  • Contains: Celeryfrom celery

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

281 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 693 g · recipe makes 8

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 30%
  • Carbohydrate 52%
  • Fat 18%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy281 kcal41 kcal
Protein22 g3.2 g
Carbohydrate37.9 g5.5 g
Net carbohydrate33.2 g4.8 g
Sugars8 g1.2 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre4.7 g0.7 g
Fat6 g0.9 g
Saturated fat2.8 g0.4 g
Trans fat0.3 g0 g
Cholesterol53 mg8 mg
Sodium851 mg123 mg
Salt equivalent2.1 g0.3 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
1177 mg
Calcium
125 mg
Iron
4.3 mg
Magnesium
73 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
697 µg
Vitamin C
47 mg
Vitamin D
0.1 µg
Vitamin B12
1.7 µg
Folate (DFE)
125 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: malanga / yautia (tannia root).
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • The soup thickens as it stands; loosen leftovers with a little water.

Common mistakes

  • Letting the Scotch bonnet split — it will make the whole pot fiercely hot.

Serve with

  • Serve in deep bowls with bread on New Year's morning.

Food safety

  • Cool the soup in shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours; bring back to a full simmer before serving.

Storage

  • Refrigerate for 3 days or freeze (ideally before adding the pasta) for 3 months.

Reheating

  • Reheat gently, adding water to loosen.

History

Before independence in 1804, enslaved Haitians were barred from eating this squash soup; eating it on 1 January became a celebration of freedom. It was added to UNESCO's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2021.

Confidence: Well documented

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 3, 4, 5

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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