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Ivorian cuisine is the traditional cuisine ofCôte d'Ivoire, or the Ivory Coast, and is based ontubers,grains,pig,chicken,seafood,fish, freshfruits,vegetables andspices. It is very similar to that of neighboring countries in West Africa. Commonstaple foods include grains and tubers. Côte d'Ivoire is one of the largestcocoa producers in the world and also producespalm oil andcoffee.
Cassava andplantains are significant parts of Ivorian cuisine. Acorn paste calledaitiu is used to prepare corn balls, andpeanuts are widely used in dishes.Attiéké is a popular side dish in Côte d'Ivoire made with grated cassava and is very similar in taste and consistency tocouscous.[1] A common street-vended food isalloco, which is ripe plantain banana fried inpalm 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 aspoulet bicyclette. Seafood includestuna,sardines,shrimp andbonito. Smoked fish is also common, as it is all over West Africa.[2]
Maafe (pronounced "mafeh") is a common dish consisting of meat in apeanut sauce.[3]
Slow-simmeredstews with various ingredients are another common food staple in Côte 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 acanari, 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.
Widely consumed fruits includemandarins,mango,passionfruit,soursops andcoconuts.Eggplant is a commonly used vegetable in many dishes.[3]Foufou is a dish consisting of mashed plantains and palm oil, whereasfoutou is made from mashedplantains and yam.[3]Foutu banane, beaten until stretchy to the touch, might be matched with and used to eatsauce graine, palm nuts crushed into paste topped with bright red oil.[2]
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 ofalloco (fried plantains), orriz gras (fatty rice), an Ivorian version of the West Africanjollof 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]
Attiéké, "fermented cassava pulp grated and molded into tiny couscous-like orbs" has a bland taste but can be served withScotch peppers orMaggibouillon.[2]
Bangui is a localpalm 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 groundginger root mixed with the juices of oranges, pineapples, and lemons.
Ivorians have a kind of small, open-airrestaurant called amaquis, unique to Côte d'Ivoire.Maquis normally feature braisedchicken andfish served withonions andtomatoes,attiéké orkedjenou.
Media related toCuisine of Ivory Coast at Wikimedia Commons.svg)
