The following highlights some of the popular Traditional Surinamese Foods. If you manage to be in an Surinamese restaurant or you are visiting Suriname, I recommend the following:
1. Roti
Roti is a flatbread. Indian immigrants to Suriname in the 19th century brought it with them and today it is a typical bread in the most sparsely populated country in South America and the only Dutch-speaking country. It is often served as a side dish or as a main dish with chicken curry, fried egg, chutney and a spicy sauce.
2. Loempia
The Surinamese spring rolls called Loempia are a delight. These small rolls are filled with a variety of local ingredients. It is not surprising that spring rolls are very common in Suriname, as the ethnic composition of spring rolls is very diverse, with many Chinese and Southeast Asian immigrants. These Surinamese spring rolls are usually served with tomato chutney or sweet chilli sauce.
3. Goedangan
Goedangan is a fresh Surinamese salad composed of blanched cabbage, green beans, bean sprouts, hard-boiled eggs, cucumber slices and shredded coconut. The vegetables are usually served on a plate, then garnished with cucumber and a few slices of hard-boiled egg. The salad is always served with coconut milk, yoghurt, lime juice, brown sugar and chilli. Additional ingredients should be reserved so that guests can choose what suits them best.
4. Bami
Bami is a classic dish in Indonesia and Suriname. It consists of bami (Indonesian egg noodles) stir-fried with garlic, onion, brown sugar, soy sauce and chicken broth. This all-vegetarian version uses vegan chicken broth and thin paste instead of egg noodles. It’s a simple, uncomplicated dish that will fill you up and can be prepared at any time.
5. Bojo Cake
Bojo cake is a fluffy Surinamese dessert with a soft texture. This flourless cake is made with ingredients such as sultanas, rum, tapioca, coconut, sugar, cinnamon, eggs, coconut milk, butter, almond extract and vanilla. The mixture is usually poured into a baking dish and baked until golden brown. To serve, cut the bojo cake into cubes. Serve hot or cold, preferably with a dollop of light cream.
6. Massalakip Chicken Curry
Curries and other spicy foods are common in Suriname and were brought to the country by people of Indian and Indonesian descent, where curry means spicy food with a spicy masala spice mixture. Dutch food is usually quite bland, but when it comes to curries, Surinamese food is definitely more for people of Indian and Indonesian descent, as they can be quite spicy.
7. Pastei
A dish brought to Suriname by Jewish settlers, Pastei is a chicken fillet with carrots, peas and other vegetables that is a delicious and tasty dish. Pastei is made by rolling out dough in a pie pan, then mixing the chicken and vegetables in the cooking broth, then placing them in the pie pan, topping with slices of hard-boiled egg and covering the pie with the dough.
8. Pom
This is a popular Surinamese stew based on chicken and root vegetables. It usually consists of diced chicken, chicken sausage, tomatoes, onions, celery, orange and lemon juice, and malanga or malanga, which gives the dish its name. The pom is usually flavoured with garlic, chilli, salt, pepper, sugar and nutmeg.
9. Bakabana
This dish makes good use of Suriname’s abundant bananas and combines these ingredients with the traditional peanut sauce common in Suriname. The bananas are dipped in batter and fried until crisp, then served with a sweet and creamy peanut sauce. These crispy bits are then dipped in sauce, and large plates of plantains are often shared among the crowd.
10. Moksi-Alesi
This is a very popular Creole dish in Suriname. Originally a combination of leftovers, it is now often served with rice and fish or cured meat. Tomatoes, sugar snap peas and sometimes even coconut milk are often added to the dish. It can be served with various condiments such as tomato slices, crispy cabbage, red onion, cucumber slices, fried plantain and some spicy sauce. This dish is mainly eaten for lunch and can often be seen at birthday parties.
If you found this list useful, here are some more Traditional South American Foods to try out on my Pinterest channel.