West Africa · Street food
Kom (Fermented Steamed Cornmeal Balls)
Tangy, dense Togolese fermented corn dough dumplings wrapped in dried maize husks and steamed to a fragrant, chewy perfection.
The story
Kom (also known locally as Doko or Dokounou) is a defining street-corner staple of the coastal Mina and Gen communities of Lomé and Aného. Sold by vendors known as Kom-tché from early morning until late at night, it is traditionally enjoyed piping hot alongside fiery raw chili paste, sliced sweet onions, and fried whitebait. The culinary brilliance of Kom lies in the traditional aflata method: pre-gelatinizing a portion of the sour fermented corn dough over direct heat before kneading it back into raw dough, which imparts a uniquely elastic, chewy texture that withstands long steaming.
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