Soup Libete (Freedom Soup)

Once denied to the enslaved, Soup Joumou became a symbol of Haitian freedom after the 1804 revolution. Made with calabaza squash, beef, vegetables, and spice, it’s eaten every January 1st to honor independence. The grayscale hands in this piece reflect the global reach of liberation crossing cultures, centuries, and islands. This isn’t just a dish, it’s ancestral memory, protest, and power. This is history you can taste. This is freedom you can feel. And just across the mountains, Dominicans make their own version of squash soup “asopao de auyama” another bowl filled with flavor, story, and ancestral pride.