The Haitian rice dish flavored and darkened by the edible black mushroom djon djon is diri ak djon djon.
Diri ak djon djon means “rice with djon djon” in Haitian Creole. The mushrooms are soaked or simmered in water, and the dark mushroom liquid is strained and used to cook the rice. This gives the dish its characteristic gray-black appearance and earthy flavor.
The mushroom is particularly associated with northern Haiti, where djon djon grows naturally. The rice may include shrimp, crab, lima beans, peas, or other ingredients depending on the cook and occasion. It can be served as a celebratory side or as the central starch in a larger Haitian meal.
Djon djon is sometimes mistranslated simply as “black rice,” but the color comes from the mushroom infusion rather than a special rice grain. The dish is also distinct from diri kole, a Haitian rice-and-beans preparation whose color and flavor come from beans and seasoning rather than djon djon.