In my previous blog post I wrote articles on the Surinamese pom on my website, www.Moony4ever.blog
For example, I described the difference between “what the pomtayer is” and explained “what the frozen pomtayer is”. But where does the pomtayer actually come from? What is the history of the Surinamese pom that you see in many Surinamese recipes? As many people asked me that so here I will explain it here in this blog post.
The Origin Of The Pom
The Surinamese oven dish has a Creole / Jewish origin, of which the pomtayer is the main ingredient. The root of the tayer is often grown in Suriname. Although the dish is eaten in several areas, only the tuber itself is eaten in Suriname in addition to the stem and the leaf.
But when did the Surinamese pom really become known?
And what exactly is the history of the Surinamese pom?
For the answer to that question, I look back at the history of Suriname itself. Plantations were established during the colonial era in which the Netherlands controlled the country from 1667 to 1975. The owners of these plantations were not all of Dutch origin. Wealthy people from many parts of the world claimed their land. Both European and Jewish elite communities were very interested in the entire slave labor process. The workers, on the other hand, were mostly from West Africa.
The history of the Surinamese pom took an extra turn when the Jewish population took a second wave of migration after the Spanish Inquisition, according to an investigation online. The Jewish population was driven from Spain and Portugal to countries such as the Netherlands and England. The Jewish-Portuguese population that ended up in the Netherlands subsequently moved again to colonies near and in Suriname. When more than a quarter of immigrants descend from a specific population group, they naturally also bring along their cultural and culinary traditions. It therefore seems very much that they introduced one of the first forms of the pom. The Jewish population often ate this dish during the Sabbath.
To this day, we also see Jewish origins in the Surinamese pom. Traditionally, in Jewish cuisine, the chicken meat is cleaned in a characteristic way, after which they neutralize the odor with lemon juice.
It is said that pom also has an African American origin and the history of the Surinamese pom can therefore be deduced from this. The reason for this is that the Surinamese soil was not suitable for growing potatoes. So there was a demand for a local ingredient that could replace this product. Since the workers consisted of the Creole people, they were familiar with the plants and vegetables of the country. Thus, the Creole chefs taught themselves how to handle what was on offer. In addition, the pomtayer was not entirely easy to prepare. The preparation requires special knowledge and took a lot of time. Something that at that time the landowners preferred to outsource to the staff.
The very first pom recipes were not found until 1914. Of course, the dishes have lasted much longer. The reason for this result is that there was little enthusiasm for Surinamese dishes in European cookbooks. People were simply not familiar with the tuber and its many possibilities.
The court eventually also ended up in Europe. The pom became known as the “Portuguese potato” casserole, derived from the French word “pommes”, which means French fries or potatoes. But even after the independence of Suriname, the pom remained very popular. Migrants from Asia emigrated to beautiful Suriname and in turn gave their own twist to the dish. The history of the Surinamese pom will end up all over the world and create its own story.
How Do We Eat Surinam Pom Today?
Not only did different population groups emigrate to Suriname, but Surinamese immigrated after independence. Many Surinamese found their home in the Netherlands. They in turn introduced the pom for lunch in the Dutch kitchen. This dish is known as “bread roll”, which is to eat pom between two slices of bread. The original pom mainly consist of pomtayer, orange juice and chicken and are eaten with rice.