This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Haitian cuisine consists of cooking traditions and practices from Haiti. The flavors are of a bold and spicy nature haitian bread demonstrate African and French influences, with notable derivatives coming from native Taíno and Spanish techniques.
Levantine influences have made their way into the mainstream culture, due to an Arab migration over the years, establishing many businesses. Years of adaptation have led to these cuisines to merge into Haitian cuisine. Haiti was one of many Caribbean islands inhabited by the Taíno natives, speakers of an Arawakan language called Taíno. Since independence from France, the French influence has remained evident in the Haitian society, not only in the usage of the language but in the contributions to the cuisine. French cheeses, breads and desserts are still common foods found at local stores and markets. Haitian cuisine is often lumped together with other regional islands as “Caribbean cuisine”, although it maintains an independently unique flavor.
It involves the extensive use of herbs and the liberal use of peppers. Rice is occasionally eaten with beans alone, but more often than not, some sort of meat completes the dish. The traditional Haitian sauce pois is less thick than the Cuban’s black bean soup. Black beans is usually the beans of choice, followed by red beans, white beans, and even peas. It is flavored with épice, onions, garlic, and tomato paste, and generally cooked with beef or crab.