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Sprawling tropical forests, vast, pristine beaches, charming locals and a pulsating nightlife powered by stunning music and dance - Côte d’Ivoire would appear the perfect tourist destination.
But decades of unrest, including a bloody civil war, have left the country in Africa’s west wanting for the tourist numbers it perhaps deserves. Those blessed with wealth wander among the mansions of quartiers heavily influenced by French architects, while a few metres away, some citizens endure the stupefying humidity in wooden boxes with plastic patches as protection from the occasional rainfall.
Crowded into close quarters, with the constant threat of violence and theft, makes life horribly hard for many in Abidjan, the country’s biggest city.
Even before the pandemic, many Ivorians live their days with the calm acceptance that tomorrow may never come. Despite the fact many live below the poverty line, though, the priority of preparing and eating a big meal together every day is a practice not to be interrupted.
All the more important then, are precious moments spent eating with family. Culinary tradition is the thread binding rich and poor.
The country vibrates with the rhythm and flavours of its fertile land. A combination of native tribal and French colonial influences, Ivorian dishes are prepared fresh each day, using local produce, and often eaten with the hands.
The country is a world-leading producer of coffee and cocoa, and Ivorian days start with a light breakfast of coffee or hot chocolate and bread that their French cousins can appreciate. The similarities end however, at the lunch and dinner tables.
Attiéké with snails and plantain banana. Source: Getty Images / Sia Kambou
While French meals often consist of carefully-designed, compatible symphonies of flavours sliding down the throat without overwhelming the senses, Ivorian dishes will not offer such serenity. This is spice country - proud of its chilli tolerance. Ivorian food flavours mirror the everlasting outbreaks of colour paraded by the fashion-conscious passers-by, the volume of banter that causes many a visitor to mistake enthusiasm for rage, and grossly exaggerated gestures and facials. Côte d’Ivoire is alive.
The main meal is eaten in the middle of the day, and is prepared in the home or at market restaurants, les maquis, where women offer fish, meat, vegetables, rice and grains to choose from. Street vendors deep-fry plantain bananas and seafood, and hang their wares about like salty party favours. Amid the sizzle and smoke, men laze with beer or Coca-Cola: icy sips of relief in the lead-heavy heat.
French expatriates lacking a desire to adapt can find many brands from their homeland in the big supermarchés, while large Middle Eastern communities have created their own restaurant hubs with the fruits of Egypt, Lebanon and Syria.
Frying plaintains: street food in the Ivory Coast. Source: Alex Parry
However, any visitor to Côte d’Ivoire would be missing out if they neglected to tuck into local fare.
Signature Ivorian dishes found in homes, on the street and in traditional restaurants include alloko - deep fried chopped plantain banana served as a side dish; attiéké - ground cassava which is served in masses on plates, rolled into balls and then mashed into meat before eating with hands; sauce arachide - a thick, peanut sauce, often ground with aubergine, peppers and spices, and served with fish, chicken or red meat and rice; poisson braisé - braised and marinated whole fish, often shared among a group. This dish is often accompanied by chopped onion and tomato and drenched in oil and served with attiéké; and garba - fried tuna fillets served with attiéké and chopped onion and peppers. This is considered to be among the most basic of street food but offers a delicious and balanced meal.
Perhaps the dish most associated with the country is , made from boiled and ground yams and plantain bananas: a meeting of sweet and sour. Lumps of this yellow paste are torn off and the hunks dipped in the many Ivorian sauces. The staple forms part of daily family dinners as well as special occasions (such as the Baoulé wedding day shown in the video below). Not just an Ivorian source of nourishment, fufu is the “bread and butter” of many African nations.
Lamb with clear sauce (sauce claire), left, and fish with grain sauce (sauce graine). Source: Alex Parry
Plaintain bananas, often made into fufu, are an Ivorian staple. Source: Alex Parry
Yet it's hard to escape the French influence in Côte d’Ivoire. Boulangeries occupy many street corners, as in France, and Ivorians can be seen carrying their long baguettes home for meals. An Ivorian sweet tooth would head for pastries sold in such stores, or chocolate (prepared by big corporations and resold in supermarkets, but grown in their own land), as well as rice pudding made with condensed milk. Local pineapple and mango as well as imported fruit from Europe and the Middle East, and a number of natural or flavoured yoghurts are available, but most sugar is consumed throughout the day in soft drinks and alcohol to mask the overwhelming heat.
As many Ivorians battle an uncertain environment, the table remains a place of refuge, joy, nourishment, love and the source of life.
