It's been 145 years (5th June 1873) to be exact when the first Indians arrived here in Suriname with the ship "The Lalarookh". As we've been told at school the "Hindustanis" were brought here to work on the plantations with a contract of five years. They were collected from different poor states across India. At that time (1873) Suriname was a colony of the Netherlands. But did you really think that so many would come to work this hard on the plantations just for a salary of 5 cents a day? I don't think so. The recruiters in India tricked the poor Indians into coming to Suriname. They told them tales about how much gold there was on the bare ground to pick and the lavish lifestyles that people had here. As poor uneducated people of India they believed the recruiters. I'm actually happy they believed the stories they were told, because if they didn't who knows I would be there right now living in a "Gaw" (village) without a proper toilet, electricity or Internet. Not that those things aren't available there (mind you: India just launched its own rocket ship for a fraction of the money that the US and Europe spent for launching one). When they arrived here in Suriname they didn't have much except for some clothes, little personal belongings, family and their different cultures (spices and recipes). Upon arriving the people on the boats were sent to different plantations across Suriname. That's why the Indians are scattered among many districts in Suriname. After the contract period they had the options to either stay here in Suriname and receive a piece of ground from the government for agriculture purposes or return to India. As a lot of Indian contractors didn't have anything left in India so they choose to stay here. Since their arrival the Hindustanis have come a long way. They have invested a lot of time, money and energy into the development of Suriname. With their economical nature they have acquired quite a lot here. The Hindustanis are an integral part of Suriname on every level possible. This year the 5th of June is proclaimed as a on-off national holiday, because it's 145 years. As per traditions there are a lot of activities held on this day. The president or the Ministry of Home affairs appear on the national t.v. and commemorate this day. The Culturele Unie Suriname (CUS) is an organisation that is committed to promote and develop the Indian culture here in Suriname. They organise a lot of activities to celebrate this day; exhibitions, speeches from respectable people, scenic performances, dance performances, processions and a lot more. When this day is proclaimed as a national holiday the activities are usually held on the "Onafhankelijkheidsplein" (Independence Square). The whole square is transformed into a stage for the speeches, performances and not to forget dancing.
But as this being a food blog, the most important part the Indians brought with them are the spices and recipes for delicious Indian food. Through the years the formulation for a lot of spices have been adjusted or changed. As Suriname is multi cultured it's almost unavoidable that the mixtures of spices have changed or adjusted to what the average "Surinamer" prefers. This change is validated by the fact that the Indian restaurants here in Suriname use the Indian versions of spices that taste different from the Suriname versions of spices (that doesn't mean that they have adjusted the spices in India too). The main ingredients are the same, but the mixtures and sometimes the textures differ there are also a lot of Indian spices we don't even use here. The spices that are made here are for example: massala, cumin, tjutney massala and cardamom.
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