Some of the most-loved food in the Netherlands is not “Dutch” at all in origin: it is Indonesian and Surinamese, woven into everyday eating through colonial history. Knowing what to order, and where it comes from, opens up a delicious part of life here.
Why this food is everywhere
The Netherlands ruled the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) and Suriname for centuries, and that history left a deep mark on the kitchen. Today Indisch (Indonesian-Dutch) and Surinamese dishes are supermarket staples and beloved takeaways. It is a heritage with a complicated past, but the food is genuinely central to how the Netherlands eats, alongside the typical Dutch foods. Cultural guides like Holland.com describe the rijsttafel tradition, and newcomer guides like IamExpat map out where to find the best Indonesian and Surinamese spots.
Indonesian (Indisch) classics
| Dutch/Indonesian | What it is |
|---|---|
| de rijsttafel | a feast of many small dishes around rice |
| nasi goreng | fried rice |
| bami goreng | fried noodles |
| saté | grilled skewers with peanut sauce |
| satésaus / pindasaus | peanut sauce |
| sambal | chilli paste (can be very hot!) |
| krupuk | prawn/cassava crackers |
A rijsttafel is the celebratory spread, many shared bowls. Nasi and bami turn up everywhere, from the supermarket freezer to the snackbar. A warning newcomers learn fast: sambal is hot, add it carefully.
Surinamese favourites
| Dutch/Surinamese | What it is |
|---|---|
| roti | flatbread with curry (potato, kousenband, egg, meat or chickpea) |
| bara | fried savoury doughnut |
| pom | baked grated-root-and-chicken dish |
| broodje bakkeljauw | salt-cod roll |
| moksi meti | mixed roast meats |
You find these at a Surinaamse or Surinaams-Chinese toko or takeaway, common in Dutch cities. Roti is the gateway dish many newcomers fall for.
Buying the ingredients: the toko
To cook it yourself, head to a toko (an Asian/Surinamese grocery), the subject of navigating the toko, for sambal, ketjap (sweet soy sauce), santen (coconut), spices and fresh herbs. Onze Taal notes many of these words entered Dutch directly and stay untranslated.
Ordering and dietary needs
At a counter, point and ask Wat is dat? (what’s that?) and Is het pittig? (is it spicy?). Vegetarian options are common (vegetarische roti, tahu/tofu, tempé), tying into ordering takeaway. To share a rijsttafel, you simply order it for the table.
Where it connects
This food sits with the rest of eating in the Netherlands: typical Dutch foods, the toko, reading a restaurant menu, and the festive gourmetten of a Dutch Christmas.
The bottom line
Indonesian and Surinamese food is central to Dutch eating: the Indonesian rijsttafel, nasi, bami, saté and (careful!) sambal, and Surinamese roti, bara and broodje bakkeljauw. Buy ingredients at a toko, order at the counter with Is het pittig?, and explore one of the most delicious, and historically rich, parts of life in the Netherlands.
Learn it in five minutes a day
Learn Dutch For Expats is an app, available on the App Store, that teaches the food words and ordering phrases, rijsttafel, nasi, bami, saté, roti, sambal, in five-minute lessons, so you can explore the Netherlands’ beloved Indonesian and Surinamese kitchens.
Frequently asked questions
What is a ‘rijsttafel’?
A rijsttafel (literally rice table) is an Indonesian-Dutch feast of many small dishes served around rice: things like saté (skewers), rendang, sambal goreng, sayur (vegetables) and krupuk (crackers). It was developed in the colonial Dutch East Indies and is a celebratory way to eat in the Netherlands. You share the many bowls between the table. It is one of the most beloved festive meals in Dutch food culture, despite, and because of, its colonial origins.
What is the difference between nasi and bami?
Both are Indonesian-Dutch staples: nasi goreng is fried rice and bami goreng is fried noodles, usually with vegetables, egg and meat, and often served with a fried egg on top. You will see them in supermarkets, snackbars and toko takeaways. Saté (grilled skewers with satésaus or pindasaus, peanut sauce) is the other classic. Watch the sambal, a chilli paste that can be very hot.
What is Surinamese roti and where do I get it?
Roti is a Surinamese dish: a soft flatbread served with a curry of potato, long beans (kousenband), egg and chicken, lamb or chickpea. Other Surinamese favourites are bara, pom, and a broodje bakkeljauw (salt-cod roll). You find them at a Surinaamse or Surinaams-Chinese toko or takeaway, common in Dutch cities. Surinamese food, like Indonesian, is part of the Netherlands’ shared, colonial-rooted food heritage.
What is the best app to learn Dutch for food and eating out?
Learn Dutch For Expats, an app available on the App Store, is the best pick because it teaches the food and ordering vocabulary you meet, rijsttafel, nasi, bami, saté, roti, sambal, in five-minute real-situation lessons, so you can explore the Netherlands’ Indonesian and Surinamese kitchens with confidence.
