Tired of eating the same food day-in-day-out? Do you want to have something different? Do you want to try food that scintillates your taste buds? Why shell out lots of dollars for what you can achieve by yourself. Try a different cuisine, experience the inexperienced. Explore the Caribbean islands; start with Haitian food. Cook yourself a flavourful authentic Haitian meal and dance a rhythmic number to an upbeat mood. It’s the best time to unwind and sail ahead, even as cruise ships are docked and travel is restricted.
Get yourself a Haitian cookbook! Oops, did you say that’s difficult? Not any longer! For your benefit, we are here with in-depth reviews of the best 5 Haitian cookbooks. Go ahead, lift the anchor, and sail through our reviews, and pick one that you find the best.
Table of Contents
Best Haitian Cookbooks
| Image | Best Haitian Cookbooks | Rating |
|---|---|---|
 | 1. Taste the Islands: 50 Favorite Haitian Recipes | 99% |
 | 2. Taste of Haiti | 96% |
 | 3. Haiti Cherie, Haitian Creole Cuisine | 92% |
 | 4. Fine Haitian Cuisine | 89% |
 | 5. Taste the Islands: Culinary Adventures | 85% |
Want to learn more?
Here is our Haitian cookbooks reviews.
1. Taste the Islands: 50 Favorite Haitian Recipes (Volume 2) by C.Verna
Finally, capture the ‘Taste of Islands’ in this Haitian fine cookbook by Cynthia Verna, host of this TV series. If you missed the TV series on Caribbean cooking, you can always catch-up on authentic Haitian cuisine through this wonderful cookbook.
Verna walks you through how to cook the most popular dishes like tender Griot, spicy Pikilz, and Soup Joumou, which kindles your spirits as you take a bite. This cookbook has beautiful illustrations with colorful food against large Haitian landscapes – an awesome concoction that beckons you to the fair weather! The home-made Haitian recipes depict the Tainos people’s culture as they were influenced by the Arabs, Spanish and French over the centuries.
What makes this cookbook special is Verna’s narration of the interesting elements and flavors of each recipe. You are just not sampling great food, but you live the tradition of a culturally rich nation. This book makes for a wonderful gift for any occasion!
Why do we like it?
- Easy to follow, step by step recipes
- Simple and well organized
- Lots of tips and notes on each recipe
2. Taste of Haiti by M.Y.Thomasi and J.Moskowitz
Travel with Thomasi on the trail of exploring Haitian food in ‘Taste of Haiti’ cookbook. She introduces you to traditional Haitian cuisine, finished with ground spices (Zepis) and pickles (Pikliz). Each dish, with everyday staples like root vegetables, pork, and fish becomes flavorful, and the aroma starts to tingle your nose as you explore Haiti’s cuisine.
This cookbook covers most traditional holiday recipes, including Thomasi’s personal top favorites. Inspired by the non-availability of a single Haiti cookbook when she wanted, Thomasi goes down Haiti’s history lane, its art and music, and history of different kinds of Haitian food. Thomasi also has a story behind each of the 100 recipes; and these make an interesting read.
This cookbook is a revelation of the otherwise unknown food of Haiti, which would have remained a secret. Thomasi introduces you to Haitian cooking from her heart as she has plenty of recipes with very few pictures of food. Happy cooking!
Why do we like it?
- Recipe titles in Creole, English, and French
- Over 100 mouth-watering and traditional recipes
- Covers both every day and special occasion food
3. Haiti Cherie, Haitian Creole Cuisine by M.R.R.Roumain
The food and culture of any country go hand-in-hand, and so it does with Haitians. Roumain reiterates this phrase throughout her book with over 100 recipes. This book does great justice to Belafonte’s song of the Caribbean, “Haiti Cherie.” As soulful as the song, each recipe adds a Haitian culture flavor with colorful pictures and recipes.
Recipes are a mixed variety of spicy and succulent food dishes that the African culture added to the Tainos peoples’ everyday staples. Culture enriches traditions and vice-versa. Roumain has tastefully captured bright and colorful photographs of each recipe to help you visualize the dish to be served.
Roumain has organized the book course by course. Hence, searching for dishes is easy by the name of the recipes. There are interesting stories and cooking styles that demystify the Creole and tempt you to try your hand at these mouth-watering dishes from Haiti!
Here we come or ‘isit la nou vini’ in Haiti!
Why do we like it?
- Easy to follow instructions
- Great authentic recipes
- Lots of pictures of finished food
4. Fine Haitian Cuisine by Mona C. Menager
A doctor’s love for cooking led Mona to write this cookbook that has piqued up the interest of those trying to turn to Creole/Haitian food. She has made time from her medical profession to put this cookbook together. It has a fine collection of recipes that have been traditionally handed down from one generation to another over the years.
A useful glossary is helpful to those trying their hand for the first time at Haitian food. This cookbook takes you through the tunnels of secret ingredients and loads of tips about Haitian cookery throughout the book. What’s the result? A host of delicious, lip-smacking, authentic, traditional food that just cannot be resisted, you just cannot skip this cookbook.
The Creole cooking perhaps takes a hint from the fine weather in the Caribbean, just the right balance of herbs and spices. Creole cooking is incomplete with the basic ingredients of onion, tomato, and pepper. Food dishes are not hot and spicy though they have spices.
An entertaining and informative cookbook that you just cannot put down. If you are exploring Caribbean cuisine, this is a good starting point to enter. The food is soulful, smashingly delicious, and curiously adventurous. The classic Haitian cuisine recipes range from soups and starters to desserts, to sides and vegetables to drinks! It has it all.
Here’s to Haitian food!
Why do we like it?
- 450 pages of food in recipes and pictures
- Traditional and homely
- Easy to prepare dishes
5. Taste the Islands: Culinary Adventures in a Caribbean Kitchen
This cookbook invites you to experience Haiti’s traditional and flavourful food with a rhythmic beat of the tropical nation. Verna et al. introduce you to different flavors of Haitian cooking in this cookbook spread over 240 pages. They share the traditional recipes and their personal favorite for the readers. As they walk you through the course of recipes, they have included sides, soups, and desserts. The cookbook includes historical recipes passed down from generation to generation without ever being written down. You surely have missed ‘Taste the islands’ TV series.
All aboard the cruise! Land ahoy! Feast your eyes on a wide array of dishes that fill-up the table.
Why do we like it?
- Traditional, flavor colorful recipes
- Replete with colorful photographs
- Easy to follow and cook recipes
Haitian Cookbooks Buyer’s Guide
Well, after reading all those reviews, you are tempted to buy a Haitian cookbook. Aren’t you? Wow, that’s nice, but just a moment. Are you sure you know what to look for in a Haitian cookbook? If not, do take a few minutes to read through the most important points to consider before buying a Haitian cookbook.
Pictures
Even when the cultures’ are different, languages are barriers, nothing gets people together like food and drink. What is a cookbook without pictures/ illustrations of food dishes? How do you know what does a finished food look like without a picture of it? A visual of the original always makes it easy to replicate. In some cuisines, cooking styles are shown step by step, making many visual learners learn easily.
Writer
When it comes to food that you don’t know about, you need an expert’s guidance. The writer could be a professional like a chef and or an amateur who cooks for the love of Haitian cuisine. As long as the writers have mastery in the cuisine, formal or informal, you are in safe hands. Please take a moment to read the authors’ background for their credentials that display their experience and passion for Haitian cuisine.
Recipes
Look for cookbooks that have easily available ingredients. You don’t want to be making trips back and forth hunting for rare ingredients. Choose a cookbook that has recipes arranged either by course or the main ingredient. Some cookbooks have nutritional values and additional tips to assist you. Many other cookbooks detail the cooking styles, giving you step-by-step instructions for cuisine you have never cooked before.
Need
Whether you will be gifting this Haitian cookbook or you are reminiscing good times that you had when you were young. You can never go wrong with a Haitian cookbook. The recipes that have never been written but have always been around in families to fill you up are certainly there to cherish. Full steam ahead! You are on course, Captain!
Equipment
While some cuisines require complex cooking equipment and tough-to-find ingredients, Haitian cuisine has the basics that you will find in your own pantry – onions, tomatoes, and pepper; Ola Creole food. No complex equipment is needed; your griddles or grills are good to anchor you in for the evening.
Hardcover/ Paperback/ Kindle/ e-books
For people on the move, nothing like a Kindle or a tab to read a book. The high-end clarity offered by tabs makes those tempting food dishes seem like they are just in front of you. Paperback and hardcover formats are also an excellent choice if you are not traveling around much.
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