Creole
Pindasoep: thick peanut soup with tom tom
Surinamese pindasoep is a thick, creamy soup of ground peanuts with chicken or salted meat, almost always served with tom tom: balls of pounded green plantain. A bowl in a Paramaribo Creole eating house typically costs SRD 90 to SRD 180.
The soup is West African in origin, related to the groundnut soups found from Ghana to Nigeria. In Suriname it has grown thicker and acquired tom tom alongside it.
Tom tom are balls of boiled, pounded green plantain. They carry little flavour of their own and exist to scoop the soup, much as fufu does in West Africa.
It is a heavy dish and classic Sunday food. Anyone planning an afternoon nap has chosen well.
Frequently asked questions
What is tom tom?
Tom tom are balls of boiled and pounded green plantain served with Surinamese peanut soup. They are fairly bland on their own and exist to scoop the soup, comparable to fufu in West Africa.
Does peanut soup contain peanuts?
Yes, ground peanut or peanut butter is the base, so it is unsuitable with a peanut allergy. Peanut appears in far more Surinamese dishes than this soup alone, so always declare an allergy in advance.