Côte d’Ivoire - West Africa - page 333

tiéké. Fufu is a dough of boiled yam, cassava or plantain, pounded into a sticky paste. At-
tiéké is grated cassava and has a couscouslike texture. Aloco, a dish of ripe bananas fried
with chilli in palm oil, is a popular street food. The most popular places to eat out are ma-
quis; these are cheap, open-air restaurants, usually under thatch roofs, that grill meats
each evening. Poisson braisé, a delicate dish of grilled fish with tomatoes and onions
cooked in ginger, is a must to try.
The standard beer is Flag, but if you're after a premium lager, call for a locally brewed
Tuborg or a Beaufort.
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Environment
Côte d'Ivoire used to be covered in dense rainforest, but most of it was cleared during the
agricultural boom, and what remains today is under attack from illegal logging. According
to 2008 World Bank data, Côte d'Ivoire is still losing more than 3000 sq km of forested
land per year.
Several peaks in the west rise more than 1000m, and a coastal lagoon with a unique
ecosystem stretches 300km west from the Ghanaian border. The north is dry scrubland .