Haitian Griot - Haiti Observer Blog

Griot is a Haitian staple, and there is also a certain level of mystery to its preparation as the unsuspecting wonder about the pleasant, undefinable aftertaste from the fried pork dish.

Serving the Haitian Griot on Thanksgiving would definitely leave a memorable taste to some of your guests, specially if they have not tasted the Haitian Griot before.

Now how do you make a good Haitian griot to serve on Thanksgiving

The trick, it seems, is in the sour orange and the salt used to treat the pork during preparation. Oranges are halved and then squeezed, the juice saved, and then the halves are rubbed on the salted meat. After this soaks in, the meat is washed and then boiled in an assortment of spices before being fried.

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An extremely popular Haitian dish, usually served with fried plantains (Bannan Peze) is Griot. This is pork shoulder, cubed, marinated, boiled and then fried to golden brown perfection.
What you will need:
• 3 lbs of pork shoulder (cut into 1-2 inch cubes)
• 1 cup of orange juice (bitter)
• 1/2 cup of shallots (chopped)
• Salt, pepper and hot pepper (to taste)
• 1 tsp. thyme.
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 large onion (chopped)
• 3 cloves
• 1/4 cup parsley
• Paprika
• 2 limes
• 3-4 cups of water

What you should do to make Fried Pork or Haitian Griot:
1. Mix into a paste the hot pepper, onions, thyme, shallots, cloves, garlic, parsley and paprika with a tbsp. of lime juice. Set aside.
2. Use the remaining lime halves to clean pork and rinse with cold water. Then, in a medium-sized bowl, use hands to mix paste, pork and orange juice together. Cover and let sit in refrigerator for 45 minutes to up to a day.
3. Add pork with water to pot and boil until tender (for about half an hour to 45 minutes). Drain.
4. Heat oil and fry boiled pork pieces until crispy (for a healthier option, one may bake the pieces at a high temperature until golden brown.
5. Drain on paper towels and serve with Fried Plantain, rice and pikliz.
Of note: the remaining juice after the boiling of the pork may be used to make a sauce to accompany the dish.

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Best Haitian food for Thanksgiving: Diri ak djon djon, Haitian Griot and Pikliz

Although Thanksgiving is not exactly a Haitian holiday, many people from the U.S. with Caribbean roots, do celebrate with their own special menus for the occasion. I created the following menu to highlight the foods commonly served at Thanksgiving, but with an island flare. I hope you enjoy the recipes enough to start a new tradition of your own. - Diri ak djon djon - Haitian Griot - Haitian Pikliz Recipe

Haitian Food Tips For Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day is not just for Americans because Haitians have their own ways of celebrating it too. While Thanksgiving is a national holiday in the United States, there are people from Caribbean and Haitian families that celebrate as well. However, they add a Caribbean touch and flavor to their celebration in the form of food. There are various Haitian food that are popular for Thanksgiving. Among these are Diri ak djon jdon, Haitian Griot and Pikliz.

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