Rumor has it that some Ivorians can eat attieke morning, afternoon and evening.
Fermented cassava flour has long been a symbol of national identity in Ivory Coast and is popular among all walks of life in the West African country. And now the United Nations has secured Attieke’s status as one of the region’s most important aid agencies.
In December, UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) recognized Attieke’s status as an icon by adding the dish to its list of intangible cultural heritage. This move elevates the spicy meal to the status of other world-renowned culinary favorites like South Korean kimchi and Mexican tacos.
For Ivorian women who have prepared the dish in large quantities for sale, passing down the intense cooking art through generations, attieke is also a way to build bonds and find a path to financial freedom.
Pronounced “at-chie-kay,” the dish is sometimes referred to as Ivorian couscous and is marketed by some as a gluten-free alternative to regular couscous.
With recognition by UNESCO, branding could now gain new momentum. But what are the origins of attieke, why do Ivorians love it so much and how do you prepare the dish?
Why was Attieke recognized?
A UNESCO panel added Tangy Attieke to the organization’s list of intangible cultural heritage on December 5 at the 19th session of the Panel for the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Asuncion, Paraguay. The list highlights culturally significant practices, knowledge, or expressions specific to a region or country.
In addition to the Ivorian dish, UNESCO has recognized ten other cultural meals or drinks, including Japanese sake, a traditional rice wine; and Caribbean cassava bread eaten by indigenous communities.
In examining Attieke, UNESCO noted the skills involved in its production. “The knowledge and skills are transmitted orally and through observation within families…The associated knowledge and skills play an important role in the social life of communities,” it said.
Attieke’s intensive, multi-day preparation methods are passed down through generations in Ivory Coast, as women often organize themselves into local production plants and produce the product in large quantities.
Ramata Ly-Bakayoko, Ivory Coast’s delegate to UNESCO, said at the meeting in Paraguay that the food was based on “precise gestures and traditional techniques that have endured through centuries” and that it is “deeply rooted in life and culture ” be.
What is the origin of Attieke and its traditional meaning?
Attieke is an accessible and affordable dish that has become a staple in family meals, UNESCO noted. It is also often served at weddings, birthdays, or other events with a hot pepper sauce, grilled or fried tilapia fish, and chopped onions.
The dish is typically prepared by women in the southern lagoon areas of Ivory Coast, particularly from the Adioukrou, Avikam and Ebrie groups. In fact, the name comes from the Ebrie term for the meal: “adjeke”.
In recent decades, production has expanded across the country and demand for Attieke is growing in neighboring countries such as Burkina Faso, Ghana and in African diasporas in Europe and North America.
Manufacturers are increasingly exporting a pre-cooked form of the meal that can be easily prepared at home. There are also Attieke producers in countries like Burkina Faso.
How is Attieke made?
The steaming, fermented cassava porridge often takes three to five days to make.
Typically, groups of women gather to prepare the food in large quantities, then portion it and sell it to market vendors in small plastic bags.
Magnan, a day-long fermentation process, gives Attieke its distinctive taste. Here’s how to cook the food the traditional way (plus easy alternatives to cooking at home):
- First, lightly boiled or braised cassava roots are soaked for one to three days to ferment and act as yeast in the final product.
- Further fresh roots are then peeled, cut and washed. Together with the fermented roots, some superheated palm oil and some water, the mixture is then crushed in a mill. The ice crush option of a home blender would produce similar results.
- The pulp is then portioned into plastic bags and left to ferment for about 12 to 15 hours.
- The fermented mass is then squeezed thoroughly to get the water out. Typically, Ivorian women prepare food in portions using an industrial press. For home use, similar results could be achieved by placing the paste in a strainer or bag, placing a flat board on top, and then placing heavy objects such as rocks on top for hours.
- The drying paste is then sieved, usually with a 5 mm sieve, to get the chaff out. Ivorian women then use their hands to loosen the paste to help it form grains.
- The dried paste is then spread out in thin layers on tarpaulins and placed in the sun to dry. This process takes about half an hour or longer, depending on the weather. At home, an oven would do the job.
- Here too, the now completely dried granules are sieved and loosened to remove any fibers or other material.
- The granules are then steamed – rather than boiled – in traditional pots with hot water underneath the dried attieke. At home, a metal sieve lined with a cloth and placed in a pot of hot water is sufficient. Steaming takes 30 to 40 minutes.
- Finally, the finished product, with its soft and fluffy consistency, is typically packaged in small plastic bags and sold in markets.
What controversies are there surrounding Attieke?
Many Ivorians are fiercely territorial when it comes to attitude. Some see rising production levels in neighboring countries as a threat to national identity.
In 2019, outrage erupted on Ivorian social media platforms after Burkinabe chef and entrepreneur Florence Bassono, founder of Faso Attieke, won an award at an agricultural and animal resources fair in Abidjan. Many Ivorians were upset that a non-Ivorian won the competition against local entrepreneurs.
In December, following the food’s recognition by UNESCO, locals told a Radio France International (RFI) reporter that global recognition was important and would help Ivorian attitude stand out from the crowd.
“We often hear that Burkina Faso or China are first in Attieke production and we, who created Attieke, are last,” a local in the Abidjan suburb of Anono told the reporter.
In 2019, the Ivorian government launched an attempt to trademark the name “Attieke des Lagunes” or “Attieke of the Lagoons” and its intensive preparation methods to protect its authenticity.
In mid-2023, the African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI), which includes 17 French-speaking African nations, certified Ivorian Attieke and its production methods by granting it Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status. This label highlights Attieke’s special cultural connection to Ivory Coast and distinguishes it from products from other countries.
What other African dishes have UNESCO World Heritage status?
With his new status, Attieke joins Senegalese rice dish Thiebou Dieune – the only other dish from sub-Saharan Africa to receive the UNESCO designation.
Originating in the northern city of Saint Louis, the meal, pronounced chee-buu-jen, is made with fish and vegetables and is often eaten for lunch or dinner. In the predominant Wolof language it literally means “rice and fish”.
UNESCO recognized the dish in 2021 along with the rumba dance from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The Kenyan Isikuti dance was also added to the list in 2021.
