African Cuisine Part 15: West Africa - Ivory Coast

Categories: Articles, Crop productionPublished On: 12th December 2025

African Cuisine Part 15: West Africa – Ivory Coast

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Alloco is a popular street food consisting of ripe plantains cut into small slices, then fried and salted in palm oil. (Source: https://travelfoodatlas. com/ivorian-food)

The Ivory Coast is a country in western sub-Saharan Africa. The capital, Yamoussoukro, is located in the centre of the country, but the port city of Abidjan is the largest. Unlike other countries in the region, the Ivory Coast enjoys political stability. The country is bordered by Guinea to the northwest, Liberia to the west, Mali to the northwest, Burkina Faso to the northeast, Ghana to the east, and the Atlantic Ocean’s Gulf of Guinea to the south.

With 31,5 million inhabitants (2024), the country is the third-most populous in West Africa. The official language
is French; religions include Islam, Christianity and traditional faiths, often entailing animism.

The Ivory Coast is the most biodiverse country in West Africa, with more than 1 200 animal species, including 223 mammals, 702 birds, 161 reptiles, 85 amphibians, and 111 species of fish, along with 4 700 plant species. There are six terrestrial ecoregions, namely the Eastern Guinean forests, Guinean montane forests, Western Guinean lowland forests, Guinean forest-savanna mosaic, West Sudanian savanna and Guinean mangroves.

Nearly 65% of the land is agricultural land, with arable land (9,1%), permanent pastures (41,5%) and permanent crops (14,2%). The fertile land is mainly cultivated by small-scale farmers, who receive fair prices for their crops. About 55% of the income is generated by cocoa and coffee, as well as rubber exports.

The tropical climate with two rainy seasons and warm temperatures is geographically suitable for growing grains, peanuts and palm oil. The rainforest in the southern part limits agriculture, but the northern part’s woodland and savanna provide fertile soil for these crops.

01 Cuisine

Traditional cuisine, which shows similarities with neighbouring countries, is influenced by the food produced, including staple ingredients such as tubers and grains, ground nuts, vegetables, fruit, spices, palm oil, as well as pork, chicken and seafood.

02 Street food

Ivorians have a particular kind of small, open-air restaurant called a maquis, which is unique to the region. A maquis normally offers braised chicken and fish covered in onions and tomatoes, which is served with ach attiéké (traditional Ivorian food made from fermented cassava root) or kedjenou (a spicy stew of chicken, vegetables and tomatoes, cooked in a sealed pot over fire or coals).

Alloco is a popular street food consisting of ripe, sliced plantains fried in palm oil and salted, served with a spicy sauce prepared with onions and chili. Alloco can be enjoyed on its own as a snack or as a side dish for braised
chicken, freshly grilled fish or boiled eggs.

03 Staples

Attiéké is prepared with grated cassava and palm oil, which is processed into a fine, grainy product similar in appearance and taste to couscous. It is eaten as breakfast, lunch and dinner – and most commonly paired with fried fish and vegetables.

Fufu or foutou, another staple, is a huge dumpling that is prepared by using a mixture of cassava and green plantain flour in equal portions with lukewarm water. The mixture is shaped into a ball and cooked in a pan over a low flame. The dish is eaten with one’s fingers and is used to scoop up other foods on the plate, particularly sauces and soups.
Placali, which resembles fufu in appearance, is also prepared by using fermented cassava dough. It is slow cooked with water and then allowed to cool. It is usually eaten for lunch, accompanied by stew, sauce or soup prepared with palm nuts or peanuts.

Kedjenou is a dish prepared by slowly cooking chicken
and vegetables in a clay pot. (Source: https://travelfoodatlas.com/ivorian-food)

04 Meat

Kedjenou is a traditional dish prepared by slowly cooking chicken and vegetables in oil in a clay pot called a canari. Traditionally, chicken or guinea fowl is used, but sometimes fish is used; however proteins can be omitted to make a vegetarian dish.

It is cooked without water or oil as the vegetables and chicken cook in their own juices. Vegetables may include tomatoes, sweet and hot peppers and spices, especially fresh ginger. Some ethnic groups cover the pot with banana leaves during cooking. The dish is served with rice or attiéké.

Mafé or peanut butter stew is prepared using meat, including chicken, lamb and beef, tomato, onion, peanuts, garlic, cabbage and leaf or root vegetables. There are many different versions – and they can also include okra, maize, carrots, cinnamon, hot peppers, paprika, black pepper, turmeric, cumin and other spices

This dish is generally accompanied by white rice or fufu. Poulet braisé is a chicken dish prepared like fish, namely marinated and slow cooked on the grill. It is usually eaten with a spicy chili sauce and is also a favourite street food. Choukouya is the West African version of flame-grilled meat, which may be any meat, whether beef, chicken or goat. Once cooked, the meat is chopped up, topped with onions and served with a spicy sauce, fries or alloco.

: Fufu is huge dumpling prepared by using a mixture of cassava and green plantain flour. (Source: https://travelfoodatlas.com/ ivorian-food)

: Mafé sauce is a peanut butter stew consisting of meat and vegetables, as well as onion, garlic and peanuts, garlic, cabbage and leaf or root vegetables. (Source: https://travelfoodatlas.com/ivorian-food)

: Attiéké is a dish prepared using grated cassava that has a similar taste and consistency to couscous. (Source: https://travelfoodatlas.com/ivorian-food)

05 Fish

Garba is a widely consumed street food dish consisting of attiéké and deep-fried pieces of tuna. The dish is seasoned with tomatoes, chopped onions and peppers, with a bit of oil from the fried tuna – and seasoning. Sometimes garba, which is eaten at any time of the day, is sometimes served wrapped in a banana leaf.

Poisson braisé is a fish dish. Fresh fish is usually marinated in garlic, lemon, parsley and pepper, and cooked slowly on a hot grill. It is served topped with sautéed onions and tomatoes and served with attiéké or alloco. Poisson en papillote is a fish dish cooked with lemon marinade and sometimes tomatoes, wrapped in foil.

06 Sauces

Sauce kopè is prepared using crab, snails and fish or beef, okra and spices. The okra gives it a gooey consistency. The sauce is usually eaten with placali. Gouagouassou sauce is prepared with aubergine and okra. The sauce is enjoyed with fufu. Djoumblé is yet another sauce using fresh or dried okra as its base. The dish is served with fufu, banana, yam, rice or placali.

: Sauce kopè is prepared using crab, snails, fish or beef and okra, which gives the sauce a gooey consistency. (Source: https://www.chefspencil.com/top-24-foods-from-ivory-coast/)

: Attiéké is a dish prepared using grated cassava that has a similar taste and consistency to couscous. (Source: https://travelfoodatlas.com/ivorian-food)

07 Drinks

Bissap, also known as roselle juice, is a drink prepared using the calyx, a group of sepals that forms the outermost whorl of the hibiscus flower. The drink is usually sweetened and chilled, but when it is consumed hot, it’s known as hibiscus tea. Bissap is often served with mint leaves.

Gnamakoudji is a ginger-flavoured beverage consisting of ginger, water, spices and a sweetener. The ginger and spices are steeped in hot water, then removed, sweetened and chilled before serving.

: Bissap, also known as roselle juice, is a drink made of the flowers of the Roselle plant, a variety of hibiscus. (Source: https://travelfoodatlas.com/ivorian-food)

: Gnamakoudji is a ginger-flavoured drink consisting of water, ginger, spices and a sweetener. (Source: https://travelfoodatlas.com/ ivorian-food)