West Africa · Side
Ablo (Steamed Fermented Mini Rice and Corn Breads)
Delicately sweet, spongy fermented rice and corn cakes steamed in individual portions.
The story
Ablo is an iconic fermented bread deeply rooted among the Gen, Mina, and Fon peoples along the coastal belt of Benin and neighboring Togo. Eaten during family feasts, weddings, and weekend breakfasts, it serves as the ultimate sponge for rich tomato-based pepper sauces and whole fried fish. The hallmark technique behind its unique honeycomb crumb is the preparation of *aflata*—a pre-gelatinized cooked starch portion blended back into raw fermented rice batter to suspend yeast bubbles during rapid steam baking.
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