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Sokro (Spiced Boiled Plantain Balls in Clear Broth)
Tender, hand-pounded spiced plantain dumplings immersed in a light, restorative smoked fish and ginger broth spiced with wild forest peppers.
The story
Sokro is a cherished ancestral specialty of the Akan-speaking Agni and Baoulé peoples of eastern and central Côte d'Ivoire. Traditionally prepared for mothers after childbirth or served as a nourishing midday tonic to convalescents, it provides deep comfort through its soothing, peppery clear broth. Unlike dense fufu, the plantain dumplings in sokro are lightly pounded with warm aromatic spices like akpi and chili before being poached directly inside the shimmering, unthickened broth.
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