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Sweet · 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.
Flavors · 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.
Traditional dish from Suriname
Also known as: herheri, heriheri, eri-eri
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Heri heri — Suriname
Heri heri brings together cooked roots and bananas, such as cassava, sweet potato and green and ripe plantain, served with bakkeljauw, the salted cod, and with a boiled egg.
The dish is linked to the plantations of the slavery era in Suriname. Enslaved people cooked with what they had, and the roots and bananas were harvested on the plantations themselves. From that food, Surinamese cuisine made today’s heri heri.
The name is usually explained as ‘to heal’ or ‘whole’. The dish is seen as a symbol of perseverance, freedom and connection to the ancestors.
Keti Koti, in Sranan Tongo, means ‘broken chains’. The date, July 1st, marks the abolition of slavery in Suriname in 1863. Even after that, the freed people still had to work for another ten years under state supervision, until 1873. In Suriname, July 1st is a national holiday, with parades and street celebrations in Paramaribo. During Keti Koti, many people eat heri heri; among Surinamese in the Netherlands, the dish is shared at public gatherings to remember and celebrate the date.
Outside of July 1st, heri heri is also a family celebratory food, prepared when there is something to celebrate.
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Where it comes from
Suriname
Dish that originated from plantation food in the time of slavery and is linked to Keti Koti; sources treat it as part of the country’s national cuisine.
Ingredients
Cassava, sweet potato, green and ripe plantain, bakkeljauw (salted cod) and boiled egg.
How it is eaten
On one plate: the cooked roots and bananas, with the salted cod and the boiled egg.
When it is eaten
On Keti Koti, July 1st, and at other celebrations.
Your questions
Questions about Heri heri
What does the name heri heri mean?
The name is usually explained as ‘to heal’ or ‘whole’. Today the dish is seen as a symbol of perseverance, freedom and connection to the ancestors.
Why is heri heri linked to Keti Koti?
Because it originated from plantation food in the time of slavery. At Keti Koti, July 1st, which commemorates the 1863 abolition, many people eat heri heri to remember that history.
What is Keti Koti?
Keti Koti means ‘broken chains’ in Sranan Tongo. The date marks the abolition of slavery in Suriname on July 1st, 1863, and it is a national holiday in the country.
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.