Ivory Coast Food and Drink

Abidjan and other large centres have restaurants serving Caribbean, French, Italian, Lebanese and Vietnamese food. There is a growing number of African restaurants catering for foreigners. The best area for spicy African food is the Treichville district of Abidjan. The blue pages of the Abidjan telephone book have a special restaurant section. There are no restrictions on drinking.

Specialities

Kedjenou: Chicken cooked with different vegetables in a stew and sometimes sealed in banana leaves.
N'voufou: Mashed bananas or yam mixed with palm oil and served with aubergine sauce.
Attieké: Grated cassava similar to couscous often served as an accompaniment to barbequed meat.
Alloco: Plantain fried in palm oil served with a spicy sauce of onions and chilli is often eaten as a snack with a hard-boiled egg.
Foufou: Fermented and mashed cassava served as an accompaniment to soup or meat.
Maafe: Meat cooked in a peanut sauce usually served with rice.
Land snails: Huge snails often grilled or eaten in a sauce.
Pouletbicyclette: Guinea fowl, usually served grilled.
Barbequed chicken or fish: Typically served with onions and tomatoes.
Bangui: Local palm wine.

Tipping

Most hotels and restaurants include a service charge in the bill; if not, 15% is acceptable.

Drinking age

18