Suriname, the dutch element of the Caribbean. Colonized by Netherlands until the 1970’s, the Surinamese culinary identity has a nice blend of Indonesian, Chinese, East Indian, Native American, European and African flavours to caress the taste buds. Also, Suriname being tropical, and coastal, has some exotic fruits and plates of seafood that are featured highly in their cuisine. But what you will observe is that within most dishes, there has to be one of the basic ingredients such as cassava , rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, lentils, plantains, tayer, malanga, or plantains.
Famous Surinamese delicacies include Pom (a chicken dish made with tayer), Pastei (a creole-style chicken pot pie), Dhal, Roti and Curry Dishes, Massalakip a chicken curry dish, pindasoep (a spicy peanut soup), her heri (a stew of cassava, sweet potato, plantain, with salted cod), and the Indonesian Vegetables with Peanut Sauce (gado-gado style).
In Albert Cuypmarket in De Pijp there are a cluster of Surinamese restaurants where you can find heavenly tasting servings like Bakbana, which is fried plantain with peanut sauce, Goedangan a mixed vegetable salad laced with coconut dressing, Phulauri (fried lentil or chickpea balls), Mango Chutney and scrumptious bonne bouche like Coconut Desserts and Bojo cake (Made with coconut and cassava).
Some places where you can enjoy Surinamese food in Suriname are the famous Eetcafé de Gadri, Restaurant Jawa, and Moments Restaurant. You got to love Suriname for its rich culture, although situated in South America, we still call them our neighbours.
Photos:
Joosei’s Roti House Vegetarian Platter Paramaribo Suriname © Mandy/Flickr
Ik hou van Suriname © David Stanley/Flickr
Spicy fried spare ribs eggplant hot pot fried tofu Paramaribo Suriname © Mandy/Flickr
