West Africa · Street food
Claclo (Spiced Ripe Plantain Fritters)
Crispy-edged, meltingly soft overripe plantain fritters fragrant with fresh ginger, fiery Scotch bonnet chili, and finely crushed grains of selim.
The story
Originating among the Akan and southern lagoon communities of Côte d'Ivoire, claclo is an indispensable afternoon snack sold by street vendors across Abidjan alongside roasted peanuts. It was created as an ingenious culinary solution to rescue heavily blackened, overripe plantains that had turned too soft for aloco frying. Authentic claclo relies on a delicate binder of rice flour or cassava starch rather than wheat, ensuring a light outer crunch that yields to a custardy, caramelized interior.
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