Watch tip: the new Paramaribo pepers
Suriname is a country with an important story that could not be told better than through food. In the new series Paramaribo pepers, cookbook author and chef Noni Kooiman does exactly that. She travels through Suriname and visits people from different cultural backgrounds to cook and eat together. The result is a beautiful journey of discovery through Surinamese history, told through a wide variety of dishes.
Food is an important part of Surinamese culture. Surinamese cuisine is a melting pot of the people who have settled there over the years, including Hindustanis, Creoles, Maroons, Javanese and Chinese people, and the diversity of Suriname’s population has created a versatile cuisine. Noni, who lived in the Surinamese countryside for a few years as a child, previously wrote about this in the wonderful cookbook Switi Sranan.
Paramaribo pepers
In the new TV programme Paramaribo pepers, Noni takes a journey through Suriname based on her book, travelling among Suriname’s different population groups to cook together. The cook’s background is immediately recognisable in the dishes and ingredients. For example, fresh flavours such as lemongrass and galangal (related to ginger) in Javanese homes, spicy masala in Hindustani households, and earthy cassava and peanuts among people with African roots.
With a plate of bami
Each episode of Paramaribo pepers lasts 30 minutes. The first episode airs on Saturday 11 May at 7:15 p.m. on VPRO/NPO 2. Even better with a plate of bami, so check out our favourite recipe for Surinamese bami here. And make some Surinamese meatballs to go with it. Or try a lesser-known Suri dish such as Surinamese chicken feet soup or Surinamese telo with peanut sambal. Success guaranteed!
And a fun fact: you can find the dishes prepared after each episode on the VPRO website.
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