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Haiti :: Culture and Food
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Culture and Food
LanguagesLanguages Spoken: French (official), Creole (official).
Tour guides and service professionals in tourist-oriented facilities are very likely to speak English.

ReligionReligions: Roman Catholic 80%, Protestant 16% (Baptist 10%, Pentecostal 4%, Adventist 1%, other 1%), none 1%, other 3%

People and CulturePeople and Culture: Haiti is the most densely populated country in the Western Hemisphere. In rural areas, subsistence farmers use hand tools to farm beans, sweet potatoes and other basic crops. A common practice is to work in communal work teams. Pastimes like Krik Krak, an oral game of riddles, are evidence of the people's sense of humour. Port-au-Prince and other towns are surrounded by shantytowns like Cité Soleil, where 200,000 people, mainly rural folk escaping farm life, live on 5 sq km (2 sq mi) of reclaimed swampland. Few homes in Haiti have electricity or running water. 1% of the population controls 44% of the country's wealth, guarded in gated communities

Voodoo, a pantheistic African religion, was introduced by slaves, and modified by Christianity. Voodoo rituals are important to Haitian culture. Its colourful prayer flags are considered Haiti's finest form of folk art, and are highly collectible.

A resident or national of Haiti is called "Haitian". The Term used to describe things from here is "Haitian". For example, "Haitian food".

Tipping and BargainingTipping and Bargaining: Tipping is not expected

Restaurants: 10% will be added to the bill
*Porters: 30 Gourdes per bag is ample
Taxi: Taxi drivers do not expect a tip

* Try to use local currency. Foreign coins cannot be exchanged and will be useless to the person receiving them. Foreign paper money requires a trip to the bank for exchange. However paper US dollars are accepted almost universally.

FoodFood: Haïtian cuisine comes from West African nations, France, Spain and the UK, and other Caribbean countries. For the real thing, order accrats (breaded fried cod), pumpkin soup, lambi (conch) in sauce, fried plantains, rice cooked in black mushrooms. Coconut and raisin are familiar ingredients, and beans a staple. The ingredients may be simple, but the cooking is French!
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