Haiti's all-purpose green flavor base — parsley, scallion, garlic, bell pepper, thyme, scotch bonnet, and citrus blended into a fresh paste that marinates and seasons nearly every Haitian dish.
Every Haitian kitchen runs on epis — it is the jar in the fridge that defines the household's flavor, often blended to a family recipe. For the large Haitian communities in Brooklyn, Miami, and Boston, a jar of epis is the taste of home and the proof of a self-freed people's culinary genius.
Epis is a rare seasoning that is almost pure medicine: garlic and onion deliver cardiovascular allicin and quercetin, thyme adds antimicrobial thymol, scotch bonnet brings capsaicin and a hit of vitamin C, parsley and bell pepper add vitamin C and flavonoids, and citrus brightens it all. Because it is a fresh herb-and-garlic base — not a salt — it lets the Haitian cook build deep flavor with little to no added sodium. It is the structural opposite of a bouillon cube: flavor from plants, not salt.
Blend the fresh ingredients into a coarse paste and store in jars in the fridge or freezer. Use a few spoonfuls to marinate meat, fish, beans, rice, and stews. Make a batch on the weekend; it is the head start for a week of cooking.
Free, no account needed to ask.