West Africa · Side
Foutou Banane (Pounded Ripe Plantain and Cassava Mash)
Silky, elastic Ivorian staple mash of sweet yellow plantains and starchy cassava pounded into a glossy dome.
The story
Originating among the Akan and Baoulé peoples of central and eastern Côte d'Ivoire, Foutou Banane is the definitive centerpiece of family mid-day meals. It is custom to pound the root and fruit fresh before noon in heavy wooden mortars called allôkro. Technically, achieving the requisite elasticity relies on boiling the cassava completely dry before incorporating it into the warm, pectin-rich ripe plantain pulp.
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