Culinary traditions of Ivory Coast
Location of
Ivory Coast
Ivorian cuisine
is the traditional cuisine of
Cote d'Ivoire
, or the Ivory Coast, and is based on
tubers
,
grains
,
pig
,
chicken
,
seafood
,
fish
, fresh
fruits
,
vegetables
and
spices
. It is very similar to that of neighboring countries in West Africa. Common
staple foods
include grains and tubers. Cote d'Ivoire is one of the largest
cocoa
producers in the world and also produces
palm oil
and
coffee
.
Common foods and dishes
[
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]
Raw
cassava
Cassava
and
plantains
are significant parts of Ivorian cuisine. A
corn
paste called
aitiu
is used to prepare corn balls, and
peanuts
are widely used in dishes.
Attieke
is a popular side dish in Cote d'Ivoire made with grated cassava and is very similar in taste and consistency to
couscous
.
[1]
A common street-vended food is
alloco
, which is ripe plantain banana fried in
palm oil
, spiced with a spicy sauce made of onions and chili.
[1]
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. Lean, low-fat Guinea fowl, which is popular in the region, is commonly referred as
poulet bicyclette
. Seafood includes
tuna
,
sardines
,
shrimp
and
bonito
. Smoked fish is also common, as it is all over West Africa.
[2]
Ivorian snails
Maafe
(pronounced "mafeh") is a common dish consisting of meat in a
peanut sauce
.
[3]
Slow-simmered
stews
with various ingredients are another common food staple in Cote d'Ivoire.
[3]
Kedjenou
is a spicy stew consisting of chicken and vegetables that are slow-cooked in a sealed pot
[4]
[5]
with little or no added liquid. This concentrates the flavors of the chicken and vegetables and tenderizes the chicken.
[3]
It is usually cooked in a pottery jar called a
canari
, over a low fire, or cooked in an oven.
[3]
Cow's foot is an ingredient "in everything",
[2]
skin on, boiled for hours into a jelly.
Ivorian land snails are huge and very appreciated, commonly grilled or eaten in sauce.
Fruits and vegetables
[
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]
Alloco
(fried plantains)
Riz graz
Widely consumed fruits include
mandarins
,
mango
,
passionfruit
,
soursops
and
coconuts
.
Eggplant
is a commonly used vegetable in many dishes.
[3]
Foufou
is a dish consisting of mashed plantains and palm oil, whereas
foutou
is made from mashed
plantains
and yam.
[3]
Foutu banane
, beaten until stretchy to the touch, might be matched with and used to eat
sauce graine
, palm nuts crushed into paste topped with bright red oil.
[2]
Foutu banane
Gombo frais
(fresh okra) is a stew of tomato pieces, palm oil and okra chopped together.
[2]
It might be served with a side dish of
alloco
(fried plantains), or
riz gras
(fatty rice), an Ivorian version of the West African
jollof
rice in which the fattened grains are "cooked in a soup that's built from onions fried into a sugary sweat and simmered with garlic, fresh tomatoes and tomato paste, for layers of bright and dark."
[2]
Attieke
, "fermented cassava pulp grated and molded into tiny couscous-like orbs" has a bland taste but can be served with
Scotch peppers
or
Maggi
bouillon
.
[2]
Beverages
[
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]
Bangui
is a local
palm wine
.
Gnamakoudji
is pulped ginger squeezed through cheesecloth and then mellowed with pineapple juice, lemon and vanilla.
[2]
Nyamanku
is a local non-alcoholic beverage made from ground
ginger
root mixed with the juices of oranges, pineapples, and lemons.
Maquis restaurants
[
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]
Ivorians have a kind of small, open-air
restaurant
called a
maquis
, unique to Cote d'Ivoire.
Maquis
normally feature braised
chicken
and
fish
served with
onions
and
tomatoes
,
attieke
or
kedjenou
.
See also
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]
References
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]
External links
[
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]
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National cuisines
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