By Mia Hanuska
Welcome to the Traveling Cart! I’m Mia Hanuska, and I’ll be your guide on this world tour. Each issue, the cart travels to a new country and explores its history and culture through a customized 3-course meal of traditional dishes cooked by yours truly. This issue, the cart has ventured to the beautiful coasts of Suriname.
Opening Facts
Pronunciation: sur-uh-naam
National Language: Dutch
Population: 642,104
Capital: Paramaribo
Flag: 🇸🇷
A Condensed History of Suriname
For millenia, Suriname has been occupied by native groups such as the Arawak, Carib, and Surinen (from whom the country gains its name). By the 16th century, the Surinen had been unfortunately driven out of the country by other Indigenous groups or migration to other parts of the Guianas (the region including Suriname, Guyana, and French Guiana). Then, the Europeans “discovered” the country when Christopher Columbus sighted the coast on his expedition in 1498. While many European countries—France, the Netherlands, England, and Spain—all attempted conquering Suriname in the 17th century, all of them failed due to resistance from the native groups.
The British, with a group of enslaved planters, established the first European settlement in 1651 but were forced to cede their land to a Dutch fleet after a deal between Britain and the Netherlands exchanged New Amsterdam (now New York City) for Suriname. Suriname became a plantation colony for Dutch planters, driven out of Brazil, settled in the area. Their main exports included sugar, coffee, cacao, cotton, indigo, and wood.
Until the mid-19th century, the majority of the population was made of enslaved persons, with the European minority consisting of people from the Netherlands, France, Germany, and Jewish communities.
10 years after Chinese and Madeiran laborers began being brought to the country to work on plantations, slavery was abolished on July 1st, 1863. To replace the vacancies from the formerly enslaved persons, laborers from India and Java, Indonesia (which, at the time, was also under Dutch rule) were recruited to the country. However, Suriname’s agricultural role still declined heavily.
In 1916, the Aluminum Company of America began mining in Suriname for aluminum, and in need of metal for the World Wars, the Dutch soon followed suit, continuing to mine with their own company, Billiton. After a long 30 year span of various political movements fighting for Suriname’s independence, the country finally became independent on November 25, 1975.
This Stop’s Menu
Main Meal: Pindasoep
Side Dish: Tahu longtong
Sweet Treat: Bojo Cake
Main: Pindasoep
Pindasoep, or peanut soup, originated as a variation of the West African groundnut soup, brought to Suriname from the enslaved Africans. With Dutch alterations adding allspice and celery, two central ingredients to Dutch cooking, the dish has become ubiquitous at most holiday events in Suriname—no matter what religion people celebrate. In fact, it’s one of the dishes commonly eaten in Suriname to celebrate the end of Ramadan.
To make this dish, I used this recipe translated into English. After powering through the onion-induced tears and shredding an endless amount of chicken, pouring this soup into bowls felt pretty good. Very peanut-y and rich, this soup is surprisingly tasty for how few ingredients are in it. I did learn one important lesson though: peanuts can go bad. I topped the soup with some chopped peanuts (see photo), then in my first bite, discovered they were incredibly stale. Regardless, I think this could be made even better over noodles; I froze the leftover soup and plan on trying it for school lunches.
Side: Tahu Longtong
Brought to Suriname by the Indonesian immigrants, Tahu Longtong is now a classic traditional dish in the country. Tahu, meaning “tofu,” and longtong, meaning “rice cake” in Indonesian, refer to the two main ingredients in the dish. The simple flavors make it the perfect dish to highlight the diverse range of Surinamese sauces. The Surinamese adaptation of the dish swaps the typically traditional peanut sauce for one based in ketjap, a sweet soy sauce, and various spices. It’s often served at special occasions, holidays, and ceremonies, emphasizing the unity of various cultures into one.
I used this recipe to make this super easy dish. With incredibly simple ingredients and very little actual work needed, anyone can make this dish—even those with zero cooking experience. The rice is a really nice texture, and the coolness of it balances the hot tofu really nicely. My sauce ended up extremely garlic-y unfortunately (I’m not the biggest fan of garlic) but that could’ve easily been avoided. The recipe also calls for sweet soy sauce, which I didn’t have, so I made my own by combining equal parts of gluten free soy sauce and brown sugar. If you have more time, you can try this recipe for kecap manis, which is the traditional sweet soy sauce the Surinamese use.
Sweet Treat: Bojo Cake
A combination of South American and Caribbean influences, this dessert was heavily influenced by the geographical location of Suriname. Coconuts and cassava favor the tropical weather of the Caribbean and equator, and cassava’s natural glutinous texture made it easy to integrate into desserts without requiring many other ingredients. Bojo cake is often eaten for breakfast, a side, or a dessert, and can also be served with a slice of Dutch cheese.
Following this recipe, I found I had almost all the ingredients already at home! However, the one ingredient I was missing—grated cassava—turned out to be challenging to source, and I ended up needing my mom to Instacart it from Ranch 99 a few cities away. Fortunately, it was worth it! The cake turned out delicious. Naturally gluten free (and vegan!), the cake was gelatinous and chewy, and perfectly sweet. Plus, the raisins and crunchy edges provided a nice change of texture. I do think mine turned out a little flat, as it’s supposed to be quite thick, but it was tasty nonetheless.
Packing up the Cart
Thank you for joining the Traveling Cart as we dove into the history of Suriname through making three delicious dishes! This stop’s menu specifically highlights the various cultures that have shaped Surinamese cuisine and their influences on the food its citizens eat. If you’re interested in learning more about Suriname, I’ve scribed a few sources on the back of this parchment you can check out. Ah, the horses are ready for our next adventure—see you at the next destination!
Sources:
https://www.britannica.com/place/Suriname/History