President Michel Martelly, an expert in Tomtom ak Kalalou Gombo

The regional dish Tomtom is unique to Jérémie and the Grand'Anse Department of Haiti. It is made of steamed breadfruit (lam veritab) mashed. One very important aspect of this dish is that you can't chew it. Tomtom is made into round balls and swallowed with a sauce made of okra (kalalou, Gombo) cooked with meat, fish, crab, and spices.

What you will need to make Tomtom ak Kalalou Gombo :
• 1 breadfruit
• 2 tbsp. pikliz
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1 small onion (sliced)
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper (freshly ground)
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 lb okra (frozen or fresh)
• 1/4 lb of in-season seafood (pre-soaked salted fish or cooked fish or crab)
• 1 cup of djon-djon mushrooms
• 1/2 tbsp. tomato paste
• Lemon zest
• 1 tsp garlic powder

What you should do:
1) With a sharp knife, cut the breadfruit into quarters. Cut the green skin away and also cut out the spongy inner core of the fruit from all quarters. (This part is important as the spongy material and the little black seeds will make the dish bitter if not completely removed).
2) Cut quarters into 4 pieces of equal size.
3) Cook pieces in a boiling pot of salted water for 20 minutes to a half hour, or until breadfruit is tender.
4) While breadfruit boils, soak mushrooms for ten minutes in 2 cups of water, then boil for 5. Boil okra in separate pot for 10 minutes. Drain and add to blender with dark liquid from the mushrooms and blend into a puree.
5) Heat oil in a pot and fry onions and seafood in the tomato paste. Add okra and all other seasonings, stirring constantly.
6) Throw off water from cooked breadfruit and allow it to cool.
7) In a large mortar, crush the cooked breadfruit with a pestle (you will have to occasionally wet the pestle to stop any sticking). One may also use a blender.
8) Serve breadfruit on a platter with dipping sauce.

Here is a list of some of the most popular Haitian Dishes

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