Did you know?
If using epis, you can wash the meat in the citrus, drain and then marinade in epis mixture separately.
Ingredients
700g of pork shoulder, cubed
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, sliced
3 garlic cloves, sliced 1 scotch bonnet pepper, sliced
1/2 cube of chicken bouillon
15ml of white wine vinegar
4 cloves
7 sprigs fresh thyme Small bunch fresh parsley
4 sprigs of fresh rosemary
1 lime, juiced
1 orange, juiced
240ml of water
Afew different dishes can lay claim to being Haiti’s national food and Griyo (sometimes Griot) has a strong case among them. A pork dish, often served with pickled cabbage or fried plantain, it has its roots in West Africa. This is little surprise since it was West African men and women who were enslaved and brought to Haiti to work on its plantations during the transatlantic slave trade.
The name itself even appears to derive from the term Griot and Griottes, which was used in West Africa for people who told stories, sang and played music, holding a high status in the community. This dish was also reserved for high-status people, since ingredients like pork were hard to come by. However, as meat became more available to all classes, the dish became a staple of Haitian cooking.
METHOD
01 Add the cubed pork, onion, pepper, scotch bonnet, garlic, chicken bouillon cube, white wine vinegar, cloves, thyme, parsley, rosemary, salt, pepper, orange juice and lime juice to a large mixing bowl or, better, a Dutch oven (you’ll be cooking it in this later).
02 Mix ingredients together to create the marinade for the pork. We recommend using gloves because of the scotch bonnet. The marinade can also be made with epis, which is a blend of peppers, garlic and herbs traditionally used in Haiti, if you can find it. That can replace most of the vegetables here.
03 Once the pork has been thoroughly covered in the marinade, cover the bowl or pot and put it in the refrigerator for at least four hours, or overnight if possible.
04 Pre-heat your oven to 180ºC (350ºF, gas mark 4). Place the pot/Dutch oven on the hob and begin to heat. Add the water and bring to the boil. Once boiling, move the pot to the oven for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until the pork is tender.
05 Pick out the pieces of pork and place on a tray lined with paper towels to pat them dry, getting rid of as much moisture as possible. (We’re about to fry, so this is important to stop spluttering in the oil.)
06 Heat a pot or skillet of oil and fry the pork in batches (so as not to overcrowd the pan), browning evenly. It should take about 5-7 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels.
07 Serve with rice and beans, fried plantains or pickled veg relish.
© Alamy Inset image: © Getty Images