FoodNationwide

Three keywords of Ivorian home cooking

Kedjenou · Foutou · Alloco

✓ Verified · 3 sources

Kedjenou is chicken slow-cooked with almost no water in a sealed clay pot (canari), shaken from time to time as it cooks; the name is said to come from the Baoulé word for shaking. Foutou is plantain or yam pounded into a ball, served with sauce graine (palm-nut sauce) or sauce arachide (peanut sauce). Alloco is fried plantain, often with chilli sauce and grilled fish.

These foods match different cultural worlds: plantain, yam and palm nuts from the southern forest, grains and peanuts from the northern savannah. Kedjenou is generally thought to come from the Baoulé of the centre.

CE QUE VOUS VERREZ · What you will see

A sealed clay pot brought to the table holding chicken and vegetables stewed into a rich broth; a sticky yellow or white ball of foutou with red palm-nut sauce; plantains frying in a roadside pan.

POURQUOI · So what

Eating the right dish in the right way is a sign of respect for your host's culture.

SAVOIR-FAIRE · How to use it

When invited to a home, ask 'Which region is this recipe from?' and hosts are usually happy to tell. Pinch off a small piece of foutou with your right hand and dip it in the sauce.

Asian and European parallelsCompare Asian clay-pot stews and pounded rice cakes such as mochi: the same pairing of a slow-cooked pot and a pounded staple.

Where to experience itMaquis, homes, local restaurants.