Ivory Coast’s National Dish, Attiéké, Receives UN Cultural Heritage Status

Attiéké, the national dish of Ivory Coast, has been granted UN cultural heritage status. This recognition places it alongside other culinary traditions such as Japanese sake, Thai prawn soup, and Caribbean cassava bread. The popularity of this West African staple is explored by BBC Africa correspondent Mayeni Jones, who spent her childhood in Ivory Coast and expresses a strong affinity for the dish. Mayeni Jones recounts one of her earliest childhood memories, recalling vendors in her neighborhood singing “Attiéké chaud! Attiéké chaud!” (or “Hot attiéké!”) while carrying large baskets of the national delicacy on their heads through the streets. Twenty-five years later, women continue to traverse Abidjan, Ivory Coast’s largest city, selling individually wrapped portions of the fermented cassava couscous, which is now a Unesco-recognized dish. Attiéké serves as an alternative to rice and is widely available throughout Ivory Coast; it is served in nearly all hospitality venues, from modest eateries to upscale restaurants and even on beaches. Its popularity extends beyond the country’s borders, with the dish now prevalent across Africa, particularly in French-speaking nations. The dish is also highly popular in neighboring Ghana and Sierra Leone, Mayeni Jones’s home country, where it is prepared with what are described as “fairly unorthodox serving suggestions.” Attiéké’s distinctive tangy flavor and unique texture are derived from a mixture of cassava tubers and fermented cassava. The preparation involves grating, drying, and then steaming the cassava before it is served. Ivorian chef Rōze Traore characterizes attiéké as both filling and versatile, describing its texture as “fluffy yet granular, similar to couscous.” Mr. Traore further notes that attiéké’s subtle tanginess imparts a distinct depth to dishes, effectively complementing spicy or savory sauces. Paule-Odile Béké, an Ivorian chef who participated in the UK TV program Masterchef: The Professionals, uses the words “sour, zingy and sweet” to describe the taste of attiéké. Attiéké is gluten-free and comes in various grain sizes, with the finest typically being the most costly. A variation known as red attiéké, which is soaked in palm oil, is also available in some locations. While attiéké is consumed with various dishes, its most popular accompaniment includes chargrilled chicken or fish, a straightforward spicy tomato-based sauce, and a salsa made from chopped tomatoes and onions. Mayeni Jones recalls it as one of the initial dishes she prepared for her husband 15 years ago, leading him to suggest they open a restaurant dedicated to it due to his enjoyment. Despite traditionally being reserved for special occasions such as weddings and birthdays, attiéké is now consumed daily, reflecting its unpretentious nature. Ms. Béké, whose family has a history of making attiéké, elaborated on regional differences, stating, “Our attieke will be a bit more yellow than some other regions due to the proximity of the sea.” As a native of Jacqueville, a small coastal town known for attiéké production, she prominently features the dish on the menus of her New York supper clubs. Mayeni Jones states that despite leaving Ivory Coast at age 14 due to civil unrest, her connection to attiéké has endured. She recounts traveling significant distances in London to Congolese shops to acquire bags of attiéké from chest freezers, accumulating it for guests. Upon moving to Nigeria, she arranged for relatives to send her care packages from Abidjan or Freetown, Sierra Leone’s capital. Three months prior, it was among the first items she sought upon relocating to Johannesburg, South Africa. She consistently asks Ivorians she encounters outside Ivory Coast about where to find the dish. While acknowledging its delicious taste, Mayeni Jones notes the difficulty in articulating attiéké’s unique appeal. Ivorian chef Charlie Koffi describes attiéké as “a dish that symbolizes togetherness.” Similar to injera, the fermented Ethiopian pancake, or thieboudienne, Senegal’s rice-and-fish dish, attiéké is traditionally savored communally. Throughout Ivory Coast, friends and family often gather around a large plate, eating with their hands and accompanying the meal with a cold beer or soft drink. Mayeni Jones also views attiéké as a reminder of her childhood, which was abruptly interrupted. She was 13 years old on Christmas Eve 1999 when a military coup occurred in Ivory Coast. She recalls soldiers driving through the city, firing into the air and instructing people to go indoors, while she and her younger sister held onto each other in a hallway, the only windowless area in their home, as their mother was stranded in town. Six months subsequent to these events, her mother sent them to the UK to reside with their grandmother, concerned that escalating political tensions preceding the 2000 presidential elections would lead to additional unrest. The country’s first civil war erupted two years later, and it would be 15 more years before she could return to her childhood home. However, even during periods when she could not return to Babi (Abidjan’s nickname), attiéké consistently served as a link to the place they had departed. Mayeni Jones, though not Ivorian herself, considers Ivory Coast home, a sentiment shared by many expatriates and economic migrants who settled in the country during the prosperous 1990s. She notes that they all speak Nouchi, the French slang prevalent in Ivorian music and urban areas, and they all consume attiéké. She concludes that Ivory Coast possesses a unique ability to make people feel at home, with attiéké being an integral component of this experience. After completing university, Mayeni Jones spent a year in Ivory Coast working for an international NGO. During a return trip from an assignment in the country’s west, an Ivorian colleague informed her that attiéké was traditionally consumed primarily with kedjenou, a rich, smoky stew comprising tomatoes, onions, and chilies. This stew is slow-cooked with local chicken or game in a clay pot over a wood fire, imparting a profound, flavorful essence to the dish. The colleague asserted that Ivorians began serving attiéké with grilled fish and chicken only after the arrival of the French. Mayeni Jones notes that while she has not been able to verify this claim, it resonates with her, as Ivorians, despite their strong cultural pride, have historically embraced foreign culinary influences, leading many regional dishes to become local staples. With attiéké now included on the list of intangible cultural heritage requiring urgent safeguarding, there is an expectation that this flavorful dish will gain broader recognition beyond its region. Additional reporting was provided by Danai Nesta Kupemba. For further news from the African continent, visit BBCAfrica.com. Follow @BBCAfrica on Twitter, BBC Africa on Facebook, or bbcafrica on Instagram. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content of external sites. Information regarding their approach to external linking is available.