Haitian pumpkin soup is traditionally served on New Year's Day as a celebratory reminder of Haiti's hard-won liberation from slavery and independence from France. The soup was once a delicacy reserved only for white masters, while the slaves who prepared it were forbidden to eat it, but ever since January 1, 1804 — the day when Haitian revolutionary leader Jean-Jacques Dessalines declared Haiti’s independence—joumou has become a symbol of liberty that graces every Haitian's table on the first of every January.

Apart from pumpkin or squash, the thick, savory joumou is loaded with various other vegetables, beef, and flavorings such as thyme, parsley, and chili peppers.