Food
Contents
Cassava and plantains are significant parts of Ivorian cuisine. Attiéké is a popular side dish in Côte d’Ivoire made with grated cassava and is very similar in taste and consistency to couscous. A common street food is alloco, which is ripe plantain banana fried in palm oil, spiced with a spicy sauce made of onions and chili. It can be eaten alone as a snack or often with a hard-boiled egg, as well as a side dish.
Grilled fish and grilled chicken are the most popular non-vegetarian foods. There are several “bush meats” that are “exotic delicacies” and are commonly enjoyed such as rats, bats and snakes. Other favourites in this “category” (depending on your orientation) are gigantic Ivorian snails, frogs and grasshoppers.
Slow-simmered stews with various ingredients are another common food staple in Côte d’Ivoire. Kedjenou is a spicy stew consisting of chicken and vegetables that are slow-cooked in a sealed pot with little or no added liquid. This concentrates the flavors of the chicken and vegetables and tenderizes the chicken. It’s usually cooked in a pottery jar called a canary, over a slight fire, or cooked in an oven.
Foutou is thick and heavy paste made of boiled then pounded plantains or yams. Foutou can be savoured with different stew but my personal favourite remains the palm oil nut sauce. Foutou is at its best when eaten with your hands (just like the attiéké) dipped in sauce.
Food is available liberally and restaurants come in all shapes and sizes, from street-side boutiques to sandy hideaways (yes even in the city).
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