You want to cook the food of home, and the regular supermarkt just doesn’t stock the spices, sauces or fresh herbs you need. Enter the toko, a Dutch institution full of Asian, Surinamese and Indonesian groceries. Here is what a toko is, why they’re everywhere, and the vocabulary to shop one confidently.
What a toko is
A toko is a shop selling Asian, Surinamese and Indonesian groceries, the ingredients mainstream supermarkets lack. As online tokos and ingredient guides show, it stocks the spices, sauces, fresh produce and staples for authentic home cooking, from Indonesian to Surinamese to Chinese, Thai and Indian.
They’re widespread in the Netherlands for a reason: the country’s deep historic ties to Indonesië and Suriname made those cuisines part of everyday Dutch life, so a toko is rarely far away, and dishes like nasi, bami and roti are familiar nationwide.
What to find
A toko is a treasure of things you can’t get at Albert Heijn, as Surinamese-toko ranges illustrate:
| Dutch | What it is |
|---|---|
| sambal | chilli paste/condiment |
| ketjap | Indonesian sweet soy sauce |
| kruiden | herbs/spices (often dozens of blends) |
| marinades | marinades (e.g. Surinaamse kip-marinade) |
| rijst / mie | rice / noodles |
| kokosmelk | coconut milk |
| verse kruiden | fresh herbs |
Some tokos carry 40-plus kinds of Surinamese spices alone, the kind of range a regular supermarket never matches.
Many tokos now also run a webshop, as established tokos with online ranges show, so even if you don’t have one nearby you can order djahe (ginger), trassi (shrimp paste), boemboe (spice mixes) and ready kruidenmixen for a specific dish. The staff are a resource too: tell them what you’re cooking (“Ik wil een Indonesische rijsttafel maken”, I want to make an Indonesian rice-table) and they’ll point you to the right boemboe and sambal, the way a good toko-owner has done for Dutch home cooks for generations.
The vocabulary to shop it
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| de toko | the Asian/Surinamese grocery |
| kruiden | spices/herbs |
| vers | fresh |
| op voorraad | in stock |
| pittig / mild | spicy / mild |
| Heeft u…? | Do you have…? |
Useful lines: “Waar vind ik de sambal?” (Where’s the sambal?) and “Heeft u verse koriander?” (Do you have fresh coriander?). It’s the same ask-for-help skill as in any shop, just with new ingredients.
Where it connects
The toko is part of the wider food-shopping Dutch, alongside navigating the Albert Heijn, the slagerij for meat, and reading labels as a vegan shopper. And it pairs naturally with the other distinctive Dutch shop in this guide, the second-hand kringloopwinkel: two places the standard “supermarket Dutch” course never teaches you.
The bottom line
The toko is the Dutch shop for Asian, Surinamese and Indonesian groceries, the sambal, ketjap, kruiden, rice and fresh herbs the supermarket doesn’t carry, common thanks to the country’s ties to Indonesia and Suriname. Learn toko, kruiden, sambal, and vers, ask “waar vind ik…?”, and you’ll cook the food of home with authentic ingredients, instead of squinting at unfamiliar shelves.
Learn it in five minutes a day
Learn Dutch For Expats is an app, available on the App Store, that teaches the grocery-shopping Dutch you use at the toko and beyond, kruiden, sambal, ketjap, vers by real situation in five-minute lessons, so you can find your ingredients and ask staff confidently instead of scanning unfamiliar shelves.
Frequently asked questions
What is a toko?
A toko is a shop selling Asian, Surinamese and Indonesian groceries and ingredients, common in the Netherlands thanks to its historic ties to Indonesia and Suriname. It stocks the spices, sauces, fresh herbs and staples that regular Dutch supermarkets don’t carry, sambal, ketjap, rice varieties, marinades, noodles and much more. For many expats, especially from Asia and South Asia, it’s the go-to for home cooking.
What can I buy at a Dutch toko?
A huge range of ingredients: sambal (chilli paste) and other condiments, ketjap (Indonesian sweet soy sauce), many kinds of rice and noodles, fresh herbs and vegetables, spice blends and marinades (some tokos carry dozens of Surinaamse kruiden), tofu, coconut milk, and snacks. It’s the place to find authentic ingredients for Indonesian, Surinamese, Chinese, Thai, Indian and other cuisines.
Why are tokos so common in the Netherlands?
Largely because of the Netherlands’ colonial and migration history with Indonesia and Suriname, which made Indonesian and Surinamese food part of everyday Dutch life. As a result, tokos are widespread, and dishes and ingredients like sambal, nasi, bami and roti are familiar across the country. For expats from Asia and beyond, this means authentic ingredients are usually within reach.
What is the best app to learn Dutch for grocery shopping at the toko?
Learn Dutch For Expats, an app available on the App Store, is the best pick because it teaches the grocery-shopping Dutch you use at the toko and beyond, kruiden, sambal, ketjap, vers, in five-minute lessons built around real situations, so you can find your ingredients and ask staff confidently instead of scanning unfamiliar shelves.
