Haitian Spices and Seasonings: Epis, Scotch Bonnet, Cloves, Star Anise, Nutmeg and Pikliz

In Haiti, the pumpkin soup on the table every January 1 is on UNESCO’s heritage list. The everyday flavor, though, starts with epis, a fresh green seasoning paste of peppers, herbs and spices that goes into meat, fish, rice, beans and stews. Add hot Scotch bonnet chiles, thyme and other herbs, and a few warm spices (cloves, star anise and nutmeg) that turn up in both savory dishes and the rum-based holiday drink cremas. Then there’s pikliz, a fiery pickled slaw that goes with almost any meal.

At a glance

Epis: the green seasoning base

Epis is a Haitian seasoning mix of peppers, fresh herbs and spices, used to season meat, fish, soups and stews. There’s no single recipe. Two institutional versions show the range:

URI describes the “complete seasoning” in its version as a savory blend used in Haitian and other Caribbean cooking that typically includes salt, garlic, onion powder, cumin and herbs. It suggests using epis as a marinade for meat or vegetables, or as a base for rice, beans or soups, and freezing extra in small portions.²

Scotch bonnet

URI’s epis uses a Scotch bonnet. It belongs to Capsicum chinense, a species mostly tied to the Caribbean, where its extreme heat matters in the cooking. Scotch bonnet types are very hot, with a typical flower-like scent. The habanero is the same species, and the BMC epis and Saveur’s pikliz both call for habaneros.¹³ See habanero powder and Caribbean spices.

Thyme and other herbs

Thyme, parsley and green onions make up the herb mix in the BMC epis, and cilantro and scallions in URI’s. You’ll read that thyme in Haiti is a relic of French colonial rule, and that it goes into specific dishes like poulet aux noix and tassot. We couldn’t trace either claim. See thyme, thyme uses, cilantro and bouquet garni.

Cloves

Cloves are the dried flower buds of Syzygium aromaticum, and eugenol makes up 70 to 90% of their oil.⁴ The BMC epis lists half a teaspoon of ground cloves as an option.¹ Cloves also often go into Haitian rice and beans (diri ak pwa) and soup joumou, though we didn’t find a source documenting that. A little goes a long way. See cloves, cooking with cloves and too much clove.

Star anise, nutmeg and cinnamon: cremas

The clearest sourced use of the sweet spices is cremas (also spelled kremas), a rich, rum-based holiday drink. Table Magazine’s recipe from Claudy Pierre combines evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk and cream of coconut with vanilla, almond and star anise extracts, cinnamon, grated nutmeg, lime juice and rum. It notes that the drink most likely emerged around Haitian independence in 1804, and that it’s shared with family and friends during the holiday season.⁶

The main compound in star anise oil is trans-anethole, 70 to 93% of the oil.⁵ Nutmeg also goes into Haitian sweets like pen patat (sweet potato pudding), and star anise into akasan, a cornmeal drink, though we found no source for those uses. See star anise, star anise uses, nutmeg and nutmeg uses.

Bouillon

Both epis recipes above leave room for a ready-made savory booster: low-sodium bouillon as an option in the BMC version, and a “complete seasoning” blend in URI’s, which URI says typically includes salt. Check labels for sodium and MSG. See cooking with MSG and MSG vs. salt.

Pikliz

Pikliz is a spicy slaw of cabbage and other vegetables, pickled with hot chiles. Saveur’s version uses cabbage, carrot, onion, green bell pepper, garlic and four habaneros in white vinegar and lime juice. It says the key is time, and suggests serving it at breakfast, lunch and dinner on everything from eggs to steak.³ The acidity and heat cut through fried and rich dishes, a lot like a salsa does.

Soup joumou

Soup joumou, the pumpkin soup Haitians eat on January 1, Independence Day, was added to UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2021.⁷ UNESCO describes it as made with giraumon, a variety of pumpkin, plus vegetables, plantains, meat, pasta and spices. It was originally reserved for slave owners and became a symbol of freedom after independence. It’s also a traditional Sunday breakfast. UNESCO doesn’t list the spices, and we found no source for the specific seasonings often named for it, like Scotch bonnet or cloves.

Related pages

• Caribbean spices, Cuban spices and Jamaican spices
• French spices
• Bajan seasoning, another fresh Caribbean seasoning paste
• The master list of herbs and spices