ExploFood · South America
What to eat in Suriname
Five dishes to try in Suriname, the most typical first.
Five dishes to try in Suriname
Pom
Oven-baked dish of grated pomtajer root layered with citrus-marinated chicken.
How to have it: Served at birthdays and parties; eaten on a sandwich roll as a broodje pom.
Roti
Thin flatbread served with curried chicken, potato and long beans.
How to have it: Hindustani roti shops in Paramaribo serve it; tear the bread to wrap the curry.
Saoto soup
Javanese chicken broth with bean sprouts, potato sticks and egg.
How to have it: Found at Javanese warungs, especially in Lelydorp; add sambal to taste.
Bami
Fried noodles with chicken, vegetables and sweet soy.
How to have it: A Javanese-Surinamese staple at warungs and takeaways.
Pindasoep
Peanut soup with chicken, served with tom-tom plantain dumplings.
How to have it: A Creole Sunday dish; order it with tom-tom on the side.
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Questions
What food is Suriname famous for?
Pom (oven-baked dish of grated pomtajer root layered with citrus-marinated chicken) comes first on our list, followed by Roti, Saoto soup, Bami and Pindasoep.
What is the national dish of Suriname?
Ask ten people and you get several answers. The dish we put first for Suriname is Pom: oven-baked dish of grated pomtajer root layered with citrus-marinated chicken. Served at birthdays and parties; eaten on a sandwich roll as a broodje pom.
Which dishes in Suriname are vegetarian?
None of the five dishes on this page is vegetarian as usually made. Ask locally: many places have meat-free versions.
How reliable is this list?
The dishes are hand-picked from general knowledge in the Explo app, where you can also tick off the ones you have tried. Recipes vary by region and by family, so take it as a starting point.
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Get ExploDishes are hand-picked from general knowledge in the Explo app, with links to Wikipedia. Recipes and names vary by region.