Characteristic products
Rice is one of the central elements of the local cuisine, and its consumption is shared with equal fervor by the different communities that make up the country. Surinamese are among the world's biggest consumers of rice, with almost 100 kg per capita per year. Other staples include manioc, taro (or dachine), a tuber, kidney beans or Chinese green beans that can grow to over 90 cm, several varieties of squash, eggplant and okra, whose viscous juice is used to thicken sauces. Soy sauce is of course an important condiment. Spices and condiments (cardamom, cumin, ginger, turmeric, coriander, garlic, shallots, etc.) are used generously. Beware of chillies - particularly the ferocious Madame Jeanette chilli from Suriname - which is widely used in Indian and Indonesian specialities: simply specify your tolerance when ordering.
Seafood and estuarine products are plentiful and fresh, including shrimps, crabs and the famous bang bang fish, a snapper widely consumed on the coast. The large Muslim community of Indonesian origin - around 15% of the population - explains the high proportion of halal food. Of course, chicken is very common, a meat that suits both Muslims and Hindus, who don't eat pork or beef. Pork, on the other hand, remains popular with Surinamese of Chinese and Creole origin. For vegetarians, tofu in all its forms is used in many dishes, notably Indonesian and Chinese.
On Greenstraat, in the Indonesian district of Blauwgrond, a multitude of small restaurants, known as warung, all offer traditional dishes, although each inhabitant has his or her own favorite address. In Paramaribo, the best roasts are served in roti shops such as Roopram and Joosje. There is also a more modest Lebanese culinary presence. In Suriname, people eat at all hours. Traditional meals are supplemented by numerous snacks, and people sometimes eat several times in the afternoon. In general, the different varieties of street food on offer in the country are very inexpensive and of good quality.
Classics of Surinamese cuisine
There are four main currents in local gastronomy: firstly, Creole cuisine with its European and Afro-Caribbean influences; secondly, Indonesian and Indian cuisine, both introduced by workers from the Dutch colonial empire; and thirdly, Chinese influences. Typically Creole, pinda soup or pindakaas soep is a rich peanut-based soup. A local inspiration to the many peanut soup recipes common in West Africa, this nourishing soup contains chicken, manioc, plantain and various spices, among other ingredients. This dish will be a great comfort after a long day's walking or after a heavy rain. Another Creole specialty, pom, kip pom or pomtajer, is eaten at all traditional celebrations. It can be cooked in a variety of ways, but is best described as a sort of parmentier minced meat made from mashed taro/dachine (sometimes sweet potato, giraumon squash, etc.), flavored with spices, tomatoes and onions, and usually containing kip chicken.
Moksi alesi is a rice dish - created to accommodate leftovers - often garnished with beans, vegetables and various condiments. The closely related bruine bonen met rijst is a dish of spicy red beans with sausage, served with rice. Broodje bakkeljauw is a small brioche sandwich filled with shredded cod and spiced with chili paste. Her'heri is another cod-based dish, fried and served with plantain, manioc and hard-boiled eggs. Bravoe soep is a rich plantain, potato and sweet potato soup. Finally, pepre watra ("peppery water") is a light broth with fish, tomato and chili pepper.
Indonesian cuisine offers many tasty specialties. These include saoto soep, a richly flavored soup with vermicelli, shredded chicken, bean sprouts and hard-boiled egg. This Indonesian specialty is served at a ridiculously low price in many warungs. Another Indonesian speciality is bakabana, plantain fritters served with a peanut sauce spiked with chilli and soy sauce. Succulent loempias or lumpias, the Indonesian equivalent of egg rolls, nassi, rice in soy sauce with chicken and fried egg, and bami (the same but with noodles) complete the picture.
One of the tastiest Indian specialties is roti, a wheat flour-based flatbread usually topped with meat or egg, curry sauce, potatoes and green beans. Suriname's Indian population comes mainly from West Bengal (the region around Kolkata, formerly Calcutta), and has naturally adapted the famous kati roll Bengali, filled with vegetables and a spicy coriander-green chilli chutney. You'll also find classic tandoori, curried meats, samossas and other vegetarian dishes accompanied by naan, an Indian bread that's puffier than roti.
The Chinese prepare their own versions of fried noodle dishes or tjauwmin, known in China as chow mein. Chop suey(tjap tjoy) is the classic chop suey, a mixture of meat, poultry or seafood stir-fried with vegetables. Saw paw is the local equivalent of baozi, rolls filled with pork and sweet soy sauce. Another classic is moksimeti, an assortment of roasted pork and chicken, bacon and spicy sausages(fachong).
Desserts and drinks
There are few traditional sweets in the country. Desserts include boyo, a coconut and manioc-based cake, and fiadoe, a hearty brioche topped with raisins, currants, almonds and candied citrus peel (succade). There are also several varieties of cookie, such as maizena koek, made from cornstarch and flavored with vanilla. Simple boterbiesjes are buttery shortbread sometimes with raisins, and adolfina cookies are peanut cookies with candied citrus peel. Suriname's tropical climate stimulates the cultivation of a multitude of tropical fruits: pineapples, bananas, mangoes, papayas, passion fruit, coconuts and more. The anone is renowned for its sweet white pulp, and the Cayenne cherry produces small, fresh, tart red berries.
These fruits are used to make many delicious juices. Dawet is a sweet thirst-quenching drink of Indonesian origin, also known as cendol. Pink in color, it's made from lemongrass, coconut milk and palm syrup. Although usually a dessert, the Surinamese love it and make it the drink that accompanies their main dishes. The locals are also very keen on coffee, the cultivation of which was imported by the Dutch in the early 18th century. Locals like to gather in cafés and stores to sip it, which is consumed all day long. But the strong Indian and Chinese presence has also popularized tea drinking.
Surinamese also love rum. The two most popular brands are Borgoe and Black Cat. Borgoe is widespread throughout the country, and is generally omnipresent at events and parties. Also worth mentioning is the fierce, even dangerous Mariënburg White rum, which boasts a strength of no less than 90°! Drink with extreme caution. There are several brands of beer in the country. Parbo-Beer is the most popular local beer, brewed since 1955, at 5°.
