Ivorian cuisine

Ivorian cuisineis the traditional cuisine ofCôte d'Ivoire, or the Ivory Coast, and is based ontubers,grains,pig,chicken,seafood,fish, freshfruits,vegetablesandspices. It is very similar to that of neighboring countries in West Africa. Commonstaple foodsinclude grains and tubers. Côte d'Ivoire is one of the largestcocoaproducers in the world and also producespalm oilandcoffee.
Cassavaandplantainsare significant parts of Ivorian cuisine. Acornpaste calledaitiuis used to prepare corn balls, andpeanutsare widely used in dishes.Attiékéis a popular side dish in Côte d'Ivoire made with grated cassava and is very similar in taste and consistency tocouscous.A common street-vended food isalloco, which is ripe plantain banana fried inpalm 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. Lean, low-fat Guinea fowl, which is popular in the region, is commonly referred aspoulet bicyclette. Seafood includestuna,sardines,shrimpandbonito. Smoked fish is also common, as it is all over West Africa.
Maafe(pronounced "mafeh") is a common dish consisting of meat in apeanut sauce.
Slow-simmeredstewswith various ingredients are another common food staple in Côte d'Ivoire.Kedjenouis a spicy stew consisting of chicken and vegetables that are slow-cooked in a sealed potwith little or no added liquid. This concentrates the flavors of the chicken and vegetables and tenderizes the chicken.It is usually cooked in a pottery jar called acanari, over a low fire, or cooked in an oven.
Cow's foot is an ingredient "in everything",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,soursopsandcoconuts.Eggplantis a commonly used vegetable in many dishes.Foufouis a dish consisting of mashed plantains and palm oil, whereasfoutouis made from mashedplantainsand yam.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.
Gombo frais(fresh okra) is a stew of tomato pieces, palm oil and okra chopped together.It might be served with a side dish ofalloco(fried plantains), orriz gras(fatty rice), an Ivorian version of the West Africanjollofrice 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."
Attiéké, "fermented cassava pulp grated and molded into tiny couscous-like orbs" has a bland taste but can be served withScotch peppersorMaggibouillon.
Banguiis a localpalm wine.Gnamakoudjiis pulped ginger squeezed through cheesecloth and then mellowed with pineapple juice, lemon and vanilla.Nyamankuis a local non-alcoholic beverage made from groundgingerroot mixed with the juices of oranges, pineapples, and lemons.
Ivorians have a kind of small, open-airrestaurantcalled amaquis, unique to Côte d'Ivoire.Maquisnormally feature braisedchickenandfishserved withonionsandtomatoes,attiékéorkedjenou.