It may also have shaken up the way the developing world gets food.

"A combination of food aid, but also cheap imports have ... resulted in a lack of investment in Haitian farming, and that has to be reversed,

Haiti's government is asking for $722 million for agriculture, part of an overall request of $11.5 billion.

Meat is very rare as it costs too much for the majority of the population and to raise animals means to feed them the precious grains that could be used to feed people.

While cooking the following recipes, keep in mind that most Haitians do not have electricity. When these dishes are made, they are often made over open fires or in small ovens.

The island of Hispaniola, which encompasses both Haiti and the Dominican Republic, was inhabited by hunter-gatherers as early as 5000 B.C. Fruits and vegetables such as guavas, pineapples, cassava, papayas, sweet potatoes, and corn were cultivated by early Haitian tribes, particularly the Arawak and Taino Indians.

It was not long before the first European arrived on the island and began introducing oranges, limes, mangoes, rice, and sugarcane. Slaves from Africa were eventually transported to Haiti to work the sugarcane plantations.

Haitian food is often lumped together with other Caribbean islands as "Caribbean cuisine."

Fruits and vegetables such as pineapples, sweet potatoes, and corn were cultivated by early Haitian tribes.

Throughout its history, several countries controlled Haiti, introducing food from their native lands. Haitian cuisine is mainly a mixture of those countries.

The country was once almost covered in virgin forests but these have now been reduced and now only cover about 4% of Haiti.

Haiti’s fare is distinctly French and Creole, giving Haitian food a unique flavor among the Caribbean nations.

Although the average Haitian's diet consists of mostly rice, corn, beans, yams or millet, more extravagant fare is available, particularly in the capital of Port-au-Prince, such as French cheeses, lobster and frog legs.

Tropical fruits are native to the island including mango, coconut, guava, avocado and pineapples.

In Haiti, you find several dishes and recipe variations. Each region has a special dish,

No matter the city's recipe, though, rice remains a big part of the country's diet.

specially at noon, small food courts sell rice and beans or corn meal dishes (grits)

Anger over the cost of food got to be too much for hundreds of people who took to the streets across Haiti in protest in early April, burning tires and forcing businesses to shut down.

At least four people died.

The cost of basic food staples, including rice, beans and corn, has increased by an average of 50 percent in recent months in the Caribbean nation.

This season, farmer Charles Surfoad is storing his rice rather than selling it.

He says food aid from the earthquake relief effort produced a glut that pushed down prices.

If he sells now, he says he'll lose money.

Corn, also referred to as maize, was the leading food crop

Total production averaged approximately 185,000 tons during the 1980s; yields increased in some areas.

Rice became an increasingly common cereal, beginning in the 1960s, when increased irrigation of the Artibonite Valley aided larger-scale farming.