Heri Heri

What it really is

Heri heri is a Surinamese dish built from boiled root vegetables and salted fish. The combination varies, but cassava, sweet potato and tayer are among ingredients described in Surinamese food accounts. The vegetables are cooked until tender and served with bakkeljauw, the local name for salted cod in many preparations, sometimes with peanut sauce. It is a hearty plate whose components remain recognizable rather than being blended into a puree.

The root vegetables are boiled separately or together until each is soft enough to eat while still holding shape. Salted fish is desalted and cooked or flaked for serving. Some documented versions add peanut sauce, which changes the allergen profile and richness; others keep the fish and roots simpler. The name is also encountered in celebrations and commemorations, but recipes and exact vegetable mixes vary by household.

Heri heri is strongly associated with Suriname’s history and is eaten on July 1, the date commemorating the abolition of slavery, as well as at other times. It is often treated as a substantial meal rather than a small side. Because its history is painful and specific, the menu should explain the association accurately and respectfully without presenting the dish as a theatrical novelty.

How it's served

• Serve the boiled roots with the salted fish as a composed plate.
• Peanut sauce may be offered separately or included, depending on the kitchen’s recipe.
• A commemorative context may be mentioned plainly when relevant.

How to write it on the menu

• Name the fish and each root vegetable in the serving.
• Disclose peanuts whenever peanut sauce is included.
• Clarify that salted fish is desalted before cooking; do not describe it as fresh fish.