Surinam Food and Drink

Owing to its ethnically diverse ethnic population, Surinam offers a good variety of dishes drawn from American, Chinese, Creole, European, Indian and Indonesian traditions. Surinamese cooking calls on these influences to create a style of its own that is rapidly emerging as a major draw for foodies. There are some restaurants in Niew Nickerie and Paramaribo, but fewer outside the capital.

Central to local cooking is the Madame Jeanette pepper, a hot yellow chilli that's just as hot as the fiery Habanero. There's plenty of seafood, lots of fruit and fertile soil in the reclaimed inundated lands so European crops have fared well.

Specialities

Popidoestella: Arguably the national dish, chicken with rice and houseband, the local yardlong beans.
Rijsttafel: Rice and a number of meat and vegetable side dishes – a classic Indonesian dish.

Nasigoring: Indonesian fried rice.

Bamigoring: Indonesian fried noodles.

Bami met kip: Chicken with noodles.

Kit kisttwahee: Prawn rolls.
Pom: Ground tayo roots and poultry.

Pastei: Chicken pie with vegetables.

Goedangan: Salad of mixed vegetables with coconut dressing.

Roti: Fried dough flatbread pancake, served with curried chicken and potatoes.
Moksimeti: Various meats served on rice is a local favourite.

Kerrie kip: Chicken massala.

Saoto, or blauwgrond soup: Chicken and vegetable soup cooked with lots of herbs and spices and garnished with boiled egg.

Telo met bakkeljauw: Fried cassava with saltfish.

Dahl: Spiced lentil stew.

Ham than: Salted eggs.

Phulauri: Fried lentil or chickpea balls.

Bakbana: Fried plantain with peanut sauce.

Broodvruchtchips: Breadfruit chips.

Pisanggoring: Fried bananas.

Bojo cake: Sweet cake made with cassava and coconut.

Ingrisburu: Sponge cake.

Dawet: An Indonesian coconut drink).

Gemberbier: Creole ginger drink.

Things to know

Restaurants may add 10% to the bill.

Tipping

18.