"Avan w te pikliz sonje w te chou non mache kawbosal." ("Before you were pikliz, remember you were cabbage at the Kawbosal Market")
-- Haitian proverb
The proverb serves as a good reminder of many things. In one respect, it is a cautionary statement that one should always be humble and remember where they came from. That head of cabbage is about as simple as it can get. But, when combined with carrots, onions, chiles and vinegar, the cabbage becomes one of the most eponymous things of Haitian cuisine ... pikliz.
Although it may be an essential part of Haitian cuisine, its origin has been lost to time. Some allude to the influence of the French colonizers, who utilized the pickling process to extend the life of fresh foods, like vegetables and meats. But, pikliz is uniquely Haitian. It combines common vegetables that could be grown in a person's yard, like cabbage and carrots, along with a ready supply of pickling agent (such as the juice of sour oranges that could be collected from trees in the neighborhood. Add in the chiles, with provide the sting, and one has a side for which there is no direct or even indirect counterpart in French cuisine. Yet, it is a condiment that can almost be found on or near tables where Haitian food is served, whether in Haiti itself or among its diaspora around the world, including the United States.
Indeed, there is a large Haitian-American community in our country, nearly 731,000 people. That number makes Haitians and Haitian-Americans the 15th largest foreign-born community in the United States. The number of Haitians seeking refuge in the United States has increased in recent years and decades, as the turmoil and violence has increased in their home country. While a history lesson is probably best left for another post or perhaps another blog, it is safe to say that responsibility for the current circumstances in Haiti extend far beyond the Haitians themselves to western powers such as the United States and France. Haiti's freedom came at a huge economic cost in terms of financial payments to France. Haiti was forced to repay $60 million to France during the 1800s, which would be nearly $2 billion in todays terms. The loss of financial resources stunted economic development and growth in Haiti. Political development and growth was stunted by U.S. foreign policy, which always prioritized interests other than those of the Haitians. Yet, as the situation continued to spiral downward, few have come to the aid of Haiti or its people. That led many Haitians to emigrate, leading to a diaspora that extends up and down the Western Hemisphere.
Haitians who have come to the United States have brought their culture and their cuisine, like pikliz, with them. It is not uncommon to venture to a Haitian restaurant, whether in the Little Haiti community of Miami, Florida or the one in Flatbush, New York City, and find pikliz on the table. Yet, the Haitians have contributed much more to the United States than that condiment. They have been contributing to the United States as long as there has been a United States. For example, hundreds of Haitians fought alongside Americans in Savannah during the American War for Independence. It is also established that the Haitian's own war for independence created the circumstances that led to the Louisiana Purchase, because it led a weakened France to sell the territory to the United States.
On a more individual level, Haitians who have come to this country have helped to improve it throughout our history. After gaining his freedom from slavery, Haitian Pierre Toussaint established charitable services for refugees in nineteenth century New York City. Mary Elizabeth Lange did the same at the same time in Baltimore Maryland. In more recent years, Haitians and Haitian-Americans have been contributing to all aspects of our economy, society and government. From music (Wyclef Jean) to literature (Edwidge Dandicat), from those who work in the medical fields to the agricultural fields, Haitians have become an important part of our country. So much so that even the CATO Institute recognizes that Haitians have assimilated very well into our country. The Haitian community, and the Haitian-American community, is an American community.
Yet, this administration has attacked this community by ending Temporary Protected Status for as many as 331,000 Haitians. That status was extended to Haitians who fled their homes due to natural disasters, violence and instability. They came to the United States, obtained residences and work permits, joining the active workforce and making a positive contribution to our economy and our society. Haitians actually participate in the workforce at a greater rate than native-born Americans. While TPS is a temporary status, it offers these Haitians an opportunity to pursue legal status through other avenues if they want to remain in this country. Those avenues will now close, and Haitians will be forced to return a country that may be an even worse condition than when they fled in the first place.
The decision to end TPS for Haitians is based solely upon racism and not on anything else. The current U.S. government welcomes anyone with white skin color, while it deports those with brown and black skin color. Unfortunately, American immigration policy has long been built upon, and fueled by, racism. It is also keeps the United States from becoming great. As I have previously noted with respect to discrimination against the Somali community, our country's greatness comes from its diversity. That diversity brings not only a variety of peoples from different places, but a range of perspectives, knowledge and ambition that contributed to the rise of this country in the 19th and 20th centuries. If we want America to be truly great again, then we need to free ourselves from the grips of racism and intolerance.
We need to remember that, when the United States was founded, it was a proverbial cabbage. However, over time, additional ingredients were added, like onions, carrots, peppers, scallions, bell peppers and chiles. Each of these new ingredients retained their identities alongside the cabbage, whether it is the crunch of the onions, the sweetness of the bell peppers, or the heat of the chiles. All of these ingredients were bound together with vinegar, with its sharp, tart taste. That vinegar taste represents our history, one that has been acidic and bitter, as demonstrated by slavery, segregation, Japanese internment camps, systemic and bureaucratic discrimination against a wide range of groups. Despite the acidity, and perhaps because of it, everything comes together just like pikliz. Indeed, the United States is a bowl of pikliz. We need to appreciate that, and, in the present moment, the contribution that one of those ingredients, the Haitian people living in the United States, have made to the greatness of our country.
HAITIAN PIKLIZ
Recipe from Andrew Zimmern
Ingredients:
- 2 cups thinly sliced green cabbage
- 1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 1 large carrot, peeled and coarsely grated
- 1 small green, red or yellow bellow pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- 4 Scotch bonnet or habanero chiles, seeded and very thinly sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
- 12 black peppercorns
- 4 whole cloves
- 1 1/2 cups cane vinegar or white vinegar
- Juice of 1 lime
Directions:
Pack vegetables and seasonings into a quart jar with a lid, add the vinegar and lime juice. Cover and refrigerate.
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Postscript: After the posting of this recipe, the United Startes District Court for the District of Columbia (Honorable Judge Reyes presiding) enjoined the rescission of temporary protected status for Haitians living in the United States by the Department of Homeland Security and Secretary Kristi Noem. For the moment, Haitians can continue to contribute to our country in the important ways that I discuss above.
PEACE.
