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Dish · Suriname
Heri heri
Dish of cassava, sweet potato, green and ripe plantain, salted cod and boiled egg. It originated from plantation food in the time of slavery and is associated with Keti Koti, July 1st.
Flavors · Suriname
Bojo
Dense cake made from grated cassava and coconut, without egg or leavening, with an elastic crumb and crunchy crust. A sweet from the Surinamese Creole tradition, commonly served at birthdays and celebrations.
Traditional sweet from Suriname
Also known as: boyo
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Bojo — Suriname
Bojo is a dense cake made from grated cassava and coconut. The batter also includes coconut milk, milk, sugar, butter or coconut oil, salt and vanilla; many recipes add raisins, sometimes soaked in rum, and orgeat, an almond syrup. It contains no egg and does not need to rise.
In the oven, the surface becomes crunchy while the crumb stays elastic. Chef Noni Kooiman, from a Surinamese Creole family, describes bojo as a Creole cassava-and-coconut cake and compares the texture to a coconut cookie. She notes that every family makes bojo a little differently: some use coconut oil, others do not.
Cassava was already cultivated by Indigenous peoples and features in many Surinamese dishes. Bojo is among the best-known sweets made with cassava.
It’s a cake for birthdays and celebrations, served sliced.
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Where it comes from
Suriname
Cassava-and-coconut cake of the Creole tradition, eaten throughout the country.
Ingredients
Grated cassava, grated coconut, coconut milk, milk, sugar, butter or coconut oil, salt and vanilla. Many recipes add raisins and orgeat (almond syrup).
How it is eaten
Sliced, as dessert or for a snack.
When it is eaten
Birthdays and family celebrations.
Your questions
Questions about Bojo
What is bojo made of?
Grated cassava and coconut, with coconut milk, sugar, butter or coconut oil and vanilla. Many recipes include raisins and orgeat, an almond syrup.
Does bojo contain egg?
No. The batter has no egg or leavening; the cassava provides the structure, and the cake comes out of the oven with a crunchy crust and an elastic crumb.
Flavors of Suriname
Discover other flavors of Suriname
Dish · Suriname
Pindasoep
Peanut soup with chicken broth, served with tomtom — small balls of cooked, mashed plantain. It has roots in West African cuisine and is part of Suriname’s Creole culinary tradition.
Dish · Suriname
Pom
Baked dish made with pomtajer, a regional root, grated and mixed with citrus juice, layered with sautéed chicken. It is Suriname’s best-known festive dish and is often called the national dish.
Dish · Suriname
Roti
Flat thin bread of Indian origin, served with curried chicken, potato and kousenband, a long bean. It arrived in Suriname with indentured workers from British India starting in 1873, and today it is eaten throughout the country.
Dish · Suriname
Saoto
Clear chicken broth served over rice, with shredded chicken, bean sprouts, hard‑boiled egg, fried rice vermicelli and thin stick fries. It is the Surinamese version of Javanese soto, brought by Javanese workers from 1890.