Grand-Bassam: Local Market Discovery + Ivorian Cooking Class｜Côte d'Ivoire

Explore the bustling Grand-Bassam market with your local live guide.

You will learn to recognize the ingredients used in Ivorian cuisine and select the fresh produce needed to prepare a traditional dish.

After this immersive market experience, join ADINKRA HOSTEL for a fun cooking class led by our chef.

You will discover all the stages of preparing foutou with its peanut sauce, one of the most popular dishes in Côte d'Ivoire.

The experience ends with a food tasting of your meal in a friendly atmosphere.

1.⁠ ⁠Introduction to the ingredients

Presentation of the ingredients used:

•⁠ ⁠Ripe plantains
•⁠ ⁠Cassava (or yam depending on the variant)
•⁠ ⁠Peanuts (or peanut butter)
•⁠ ⁠Meat or chicken (optional)
•⁠ ⁠Onions
•⁠ ⁠Tomatoes
•⁠ ⁠Garlic
•⁠ ⁠Ginger
•⁠ ⁠Salt and spices

2.⁠ ⁠Preparation of ingredients

•⁠ ⁠Peel the plantains and cassava.
•⁠ ⁠Cut them into pieces.
•⁠ ⁠Peel and slice the vegetables.
•⁠ ⁠Prepare the meat if you are using it.

3.⁠ ⁠Cooking the plantains and cassava

•⁠ ⁠Boil the pieces of plantain and cassava until they are very tender.
• Drain them.

4.⁠ ⁠Preparation of the foutou

•⁠ ⁠Pound the cooked pieces in a traditional mortar.
•⁠ ⁠Alternate between pounding and turning the dough until you get a smooth, supple, and homogeneous texture.
•⁠ ⁠Form a nice ball of foutou.

This is usually the step that travelers enjoy the most, as they discover traditional pounding.

5.⁠ ⁠Preparation of the peanut sauce

•⁠ ⁠Sauté the onions, garlic, and ginger.
•⁠ ⁠Add the tomatoes and let it simmer.
•⁠ ⁠Stir in the peanut butter mixed with a little water.
•⁠ ⁠Add meat or chicken if desired.
•⁠ ⁠Season.
•⁠ ⁠Cook gently until you get a creamy sauce.

6.⁠ ⁠Plating

•⁠ ⁠Place a ball of foutou on a plate.
•⁠ ⁠Top generously with peanut sauce.
•⁠ ⁠Add the chicken, fish, or vegetable pieces.

7.⁠ ⁠Food tasting

Participants enjoy their meal together while discussing Ivorian culinary traditions and the role of foutou in family meals and major celebrations.