I grew up in Haiti but moved to NYC at the age of 15. It had been 9 yrs since I last visited so when my best friend told me she was to attend a wedding in Haiti, I took that opportunity to tag along. I packed a small bag for 4 days, although I lived there for 10 years, I realized I hadn’t seen most of the country. I’ve probably visited 3 cities, a realization that has always made me feel ashamed, not knowing one’s own  land. my best friend and I decided to go to Jacmel, a beautiful city a couple of hours away from the capital (Port-au-Prince).

As a child my favorite Haitian dish was “Fritay” a dish composed of fried food- usually reserved for festivities and special occasion but can also be found in every haitian street corner.

Fritay

  I’ve had this dish numerous times in New York , either at home or one of the Haitian restaurants in Brooklyn- but there’s something about the Fritay in Haiti especially the one from the street vendor ( my friends and I always joked that perhaps the great taste came from the unsanitary street condition)

Fritay usually includes a choice of meat:

Pwason fri (fired fish)

griyo (fried pork)

tasso (fried beef)
banan peze (fried pressed plantains)
sosis (fried sausages)
akra (fried cassava )

Fritay is served with pikliz, a spicy mixture of chopped & pickled vegetables like cabbage, carrots and onions.

Our day trip started with a stop at the beach where we enjoyed the local beer, the sun and some more Fritay.

One day I hope to return and explore my land.

-Mama Càx