Store

Haitian Food History

Historical period

Taíno cassava and conuco agriculture; Spanish conquest and the destruction of that population; French Saint-Domingue from 1697, which became the richest colony in the world on SUGAR, COFFEE and INDIGO worked by an enslaved population of extraordinary size and mortality — at its height the colony produced a very large share of the world’s sugar and coffee; the REVOLUTION of 1791-1804 and independence on 1 January 1804; ⚠ THE FRENCH INDEMNITY of 1825, which forced Haiti to pay its former enslavers for their lost "property" and burdened the country with debt for over a century — a documented cause of the underinvestment behind its later food insecurity; the US occupation of 1915-34; the Kreyòl pig cull of the 1980s, which destroyed a resilient smallholder animal and is bitterly remembered; and rice import liberalisation in the 1990s, which undercut the Artibonite.

Atlas — where and when

What is recorded

  • French Saint-Domingue was the wealthiest colony in the world, producing a very large share of global sugar and coffee with an enslaved population of exceptional size and mortality. The revolution of 1791-1804 produced the first state created by a successful revolt of enslaved people. The 1825 French indemnity required Haiti to compensate its former enslavers, burdening the state with debt for over a century, and is documented as a cause of subsequent underinvestment. The 1980s eradication of the Kreyòl pig removed a resilient smallholder animal and is documented as a significant rural food-system loss. documented
  • The Haitian Revolution, ending in independence on 1 January 1804 — the first state created by a successful revolt of enslaved people. documented
  • The French indemnity: Haiti is forced to compensate its former enslavers, burdening the state with debt for over a century. documented
  • The eradication of the Kreyòl pig, removing a resilient smallholder animal and a rural savings mechanism — bitterly remembered. documented

Related foodways

This foodway relates to

Recipes

No recipes are filed under this cuisine yet.