Glimpses of Haiti -Part 4

By Louis Hudson

Do you know what “Chanm Chanm” is?

If not, Haitian people can tell you a lot about it.

I know that you guys know about peanuts, and how most of us love peanut butter. I want you to know that chanm chanm is one of the specialities that Haitian people made from peanut mix with other ingredients.

As you can see in that photo, this is the plant of peanut. A cultivator from Pestel holds it to show us and explained to us the process to get peanuts.

His name is Jacques Noel. As it is the season for peanuts, he explained to us that they should approximately grow to be harvest in 4 to 5 months.

He explained after the cultivators plant the seed, when is the time to harvest, the ladies get them.

And as the peanut may be disposal for so many kind of use, they sell a raw part to people who are going to grill it to sell in front of school every morning, to some that are going to grill and mix it with sugar and made something called “tablèt pistach“ (peanut tablet), to some that will make peanut butter and also make chanm chanm from it.

He will not forgot to save some for the family, as they will use it also to make different kind of recipes, just like their clients.

According to him, in Pestel this is one of the best ways for people to make a living, especially when the harvest is good. It is not enough to support all the family needs, but at least they can make a living from it.

FYI: most children in Haiti are craving “chanm chanm”. When you get a chance to visit us, don’t forget to ask to try it.