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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
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.
Traditional dish from Suriname
Also known as: pindasoep met tomtom
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
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Pindasoep — Suriname
Pindasoep is a thick peanut soup. The base is a slowly simmered chicken broth with onion, garlic, allspice, celery and madame jeanette pepper; peanut paste is stirred into the broth at the end. The traditional recipe also includes salted meat, the zoutvlees.
The classic accompaniment is tomtom. Plantains are cooked, mashed and shaped with wet hands into walnut-sized balls; the plantain starch helps bind the dough. The balls go in the soup bowl and the hot soup is poured over them.
The soup is part of the African heritage of Suriname’s Creole cuisine. In West Africa there were similar soups made with bambara groundnut, which resembles peanut; in Suriname, the peanut, a plant native to South America, took that place. Every family has its own way of making it.
Pindasoep appears at parties and gatherings and also as an everyday meal. The soup’s heat varies: Surinamese peanut paste is often already spicy, and the madame jeanette pepper makes the broth stronger.
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Where it comes from
Suriname
A Creole-tradition soup with roots in West African cuisine, eaten across the country.
Ingredients
Chicken, peanut paste, salted meat (zoutvlees), onion, garlic, allspice, celery and madame jeanette pepper. For the tomtom: green and ripe plantains.
How it is eaten
In a deep bowl: tomtom at the bottom and hot soup on top, garnished with chopped celery leaves. It may be served with rice; the pepper is often provided on the side.
When it is eaten
At family parties and gatherings, and also as an ordinary meal.
Your questions
Questions about Pindasoep
What is tomtom?
They are walnut-sized balls of cooked, mashed plantain. They go at the bottom of the bowl, and the pindasoep is served over them.
Is pindasoep spicy?
It depends on the recipe. Surinamese peanut paste is often already spicy, and the madame jeanette pepper makes the soup hotter; many times the pepper is served separately.
What is the origin of pindasoep?
It is part of the African heritage of Suriname’s Creole cuisine. In West Africa there were similar soups made with bambara groundnut; in Suriname, the peanut took that role.
Flavors of Suriname
Discover other flavors of Suriname
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.
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.