The Central Market is the most vivid and chaotic place in Paramaribo — a large covered market near the waterfront where the full diversity of Surinamese society assembles every morning to buy and sell. Vendors from the Hindustani, Javanese, Creole, and Maroon communities each have their regular stalls, selling tropical produce, dried fish, spices, herbal medicines, and household goods alongside one another.
The food stalls in and around the market are among the best places in the city for a cheap meal — roti (Hindustani-style flatbread with curry), pom (a Jewish-Surinamese casserole of tayer root and chicken), and bakabana (fried plantain with peanut sauce). Come in the morning for the best selection; by early afternoon many stalls pack up. It is also a busy local transport hub, so the surrounding streets are lively at most hours.