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Surinamese Recipes

8 recipes

Surinamese cooking is as varied as the country's population. Creole, Hindustani, Javanese, Chinese, Indigenous, Maroon and Dutch families all cook at home, and their dishes share one table. Rice, cassava, plantain and root crops such as tayer (a taro-like tuber) are the staples, alongside chicken, salted meat, salted cod, peanuts and coconut. Yardlong beans, okra and eggplant are everyday vegetables. Madame Jeanette, a fruity and very hot pepper close to Scotch bonnet, goes into pots whole and appears as a sauce at the table. Roti shops serve flatbread with curry, warungs (small eateries) sell nasi, bami and saoto soup, and snack stalls fry bara. Pom, a baked casserole of chicken and grated tayer, is the party dish for birthdays, weddings and holidays. Bojo, a baked cassava and coconut cake, is a favorite sweet. Most food is cooked for sharing, and a bowl of hot sauce usually sits beside the plates.

Staple ingredients

Soups

Main Dishes

Desserts

Snacks

Common questions

What is Surinamese food known for?

A blend of Creole, Hindustani, Javanese and Chinese cooking: roti with chicken curry, pom, peanut soup, saoto soup, nasi and bami, bara snacks and bojo cake. Very hot Madame Jeanette peppers and sweet soy sauce are signature flavors.

What is the national dish of Suriname?

There is no official one. Pom, a baked chicken and tayer casserole, is the best-known party dish, while roti with curry and nasi or bami from the warung are everyday favorites.

Is Surinamese food spicy?

It can be very hot, but the heat is usually adjustable. Cooks often add a Madame Jeanette pepper whole for flavor, and hot sauce or sambal goes on the table so each person chooses their own level.