An Introduction to the Ivorian Table: Attiéké, Garba, Alloco, Placali, Foutou and Sauce Graine Explained

In Côte d'Ivoire (in West Africa, French-speaking, the world's largest cocoa producer), most dishes on a menu carry French or local-language names, which can be baffling at first. One simple principle makes it all easier: a starchy staple served with a sauce or with grilled fish or meat. Cassava, plantain (a cooking banana that must be cooked before eating) and yam are the three foundations of this table.

The cassava family: attiéké, garba, placali

Attiéké is Côte d'Ivoire's most emblematic staple. Cassava is grated and mixed with a small portion of already fermented cassava, then pressed, sieved into small grains and steamed. The texture is much like North African couscous, with a slight tang. In 2024, UNESCO inscribed the "know-how related to attiéké production in Côte d'Ivoire" on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, noting that the craft is carried mainly by communities in the lagoon region, that women handle processing and sale, and that the knowledge is passed on largely by word of mouth and observation within families.

The whole process can take several days. After harvesting, the cassava is peeled and ground into a pulp, and a fermented cassava "starter" known locally as mangnan is added to develop the flavour. The starchy water is then pressed out, and the dry pulp is broken up and sieved into grains, before being sun-dried and steamed. Men usually take care of planting, harvesting, transport and grinding, while women handle the later stages of processing. Finished attiéké is often sold in baskets lined with cassava leaves, and it is an affordable everyday staple found on family tables, in restaurants and at ceremonies of all kinds.

Garba is in effect the street version of attiéké: a plate of attiéké topped with crispy fried tuna, plus chilli and other condiments. It originated in Abidjan's working-class neighbourhoods and is now eaten across all social classes; the roadside stalls that sell it even have their own nickname, the "garbadrome". Cheap and filling, it is often a quick lunch or an after-work meal in the early evening. According to those who make it, attiéké that clumps into small lumps during sieving is just right for garba. Ivorians living abroad often make it themselves as a taste of home.

Placali is another way of eating cassava: the pulp is fermented for several days, then stirred continuously in boiling water until it becomes a thick, elastic, slightly sour dough. It is especially common among southern peoples and often appears at family gatherings and festive occasions.

Plantain and yam: alloco and foutou

Alloco is ripe plantain cut into pieces and fried in palm oil, often topped with an onion and chilli sauce. It can be eaten on its own as a snack, is often served with a boiled egg, or accompanies grilled fish.

Foutou is a dough of boiled plantain and yam pounded together. The similar foufou is plantain mash mixed with palm oil. Plantain-based foutou banane must be pounded repeatedly until it becomes stretchy and elastic, and its classic partner is sauce graine. To eat it, tear off a small piece of the dough and dip it in the sauce.

Sauces: the soul of the meal

Groundnuts are widely used in local cooking, and maafe, meat stewed in peanut sauce, is a common home-cooked dish. The okra stew gombo frais can be eaten with a dough staple or with alloco or riz gras (a kind of oily rice). Because attiéké, placali and foutou are all fairly mild, the flavour of a meal rests almost entirely on the sauce; locals also often season attiéké with chilli or a stock cube on the side.

Kedjenou, another dish often called the national dish, is chicken and vegetables slow-cooked in a sealed pot with almost no added water. It is traditionally cooked in a clay pot called a canari and often served with attiéké.

One line for Asian readers

Think of attiéké as fine cassava grains, a little like millet, and foutou as a big mochi with no filling; pair one of them with a sauce and you are already through the door of the Ivorian table.

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References: UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage: Know-how related to Attiéké production in Côte d'Ivoire; Wikipedia: Ivorian cuisine; Afrik.com: Le garba, emblématique de la Côte d'Ivoire; Afrik.com: Placali; Le360 Afrique: L'attiéké reconnu patrimoine immatériel