Hindustani
Bara: the fried snack that is everywhere
Bara is a flat fried Surinamese-Hindustani snack of ground urad beans and flour, soft inside, usually eaten with sour sauce or sambal. On the street in Paramaribo one costs roughly SRD 10 to SRD 30.
Flavour and texture
Soft, lightly salty, earthy with cumin. The sour sauce does the work.
Street price, indicative SRD 10–30
Bara is the snack you meet at every cart and every market, and the cheapest way to understand how Surinamese people eat: standing up, with your hands, and with a lot of sour sauce.
The dough is ground urad (black lentils) with flour, turmeric and cumin, spread flat and deep-fried. Done well it is soft and airy inside and stops just short of greasy outside.
Bara came with the Hindustani indentured labourers brought from British India from 1873, the same migration that brought the roti. Northern India has a large family of fried pulse snacks, and indenture carried it across the Caribbean: in Trinidad the same flat bara is the bread of "doubles", wrapped around a chickpea curry.
In Paramaribo it moved off the plate and onto the street. The carts on the Waterkant and around the Central Market fry it fresh through the day and sell it by the piece for SRD 10 to SRD 30, which makes it the cheapest hot food in the city.
Two bara with a layer of sour sauce between them is the standard snack. In Dutch Surinamese shops you will find it under the same name.
Frequently asked questions
What is bara?
Bara is a flat, deep-fried Surinamese-Hindustani snack made from ground urad beans (black lentils) and flour, seasoned with turmeric and cumin. It is nearly always eaten with sour sauce or sambal.
Is bara vegetarian?
Yes. Bara is urad beans, flour and spices, so it is vegetarian and usually vegan too. Check only what sauce comes with it. On the street in Paramaribo a bara costs SRD 10 to SRD 30.
Where does bara come from?
From northern India, carried to Suriname by the Hindustani indentured labourers who began arriving in 1873. The same snack travelled with that migration to Trinidad and Guyana, where bara is the bread of "doubles".
How do you eat bara?
Standing up, with your hands, usually two at a time with a layer of sour sauce or sambal between them. The carts on the Waterkant and at the Central Market sell them singly for SRD 10 to SRD 30.
What is the difference between bara and phulauri?
Bara is flat and made from ground urad beans (black lentils); phulauri is a round fritter of ground yellow split peas. They share a cart, both cost SRD 10 to SRD 30, and both go into the sour sauce.