Acheke Explained

Alternate Name:Attieké
Country:Southern Côte d'Ivoire
Region:West Africa
Course:Side dish
Main Ingredient:Fermented and grated cassava
Variations:2
Fat:0.1
Carbohydrate:84

Acheke (Ebrié:, Bambara: cɛkɛ),[1] also spelled attiéké (Ivory Coast), is a side dish made from cassava that is popular and traditional in the Ivory Coast.[2] The dish is prepared from fermented cassava pulp that has been grated or granulated.[3] [4] Dried acheke is also prepared, which is similar in texture to couscous.

Acheke is a culinary specialty of the lagoon people (Ebrié, Adjoukrou, Alladian, Abidji, Avikam, Ahizi, Attie) of southern Ivory Coast.

The word acheke comes from the word "adjèkè" from the Ebrié language spoken in southern Côte d'Ivoire. The pronunciation of the word was distorted by the Bambara transporters into "atchèkè" and then by the French colonists into "attiéké". It is made from grated cassava that is fermented,[5] [6] [7] and is flavorful when eaten with fried fish with ground spicy pepper garnished with chopped pepper, and onions with a little seasoning for taste added mixed with regular oil.

Preparation method

The cassava is peeled, grated, and mixed with a small amount of previously fermented cassava as the starter. (This starter has different names depending on the ethnic group that produces it: mangnan Ebrié lidjrou in Adjoukrou and bêdêfon in Allandjan.) The paste is left to ferment for one or two days. Once the fermentation time is over and the vast majority of the hydrocyanic acid that exists in a large proportion in bitter cassava has been removed, the pulp is dewatered, screened, and dried, and finally cooked by steaming. After a few minutes of cooking, the attiéké is ready for consumption.[8] It is best served with grilled fish and pepper or tomato.

Attiéké sold at markets is usually precooked.

See also

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. http://sekoukamara.com/2013/10/01/acheke-a-spicious-west-african-dish/ Kewellen Dolley, "Attieké, A Tasty West African Dish"
  2. Web site: Ivory Coast seeks protected status for staple cassava dish. Yahoo! News. AFP. 7 August 2016. 3 August 2016. 5 August 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160805005446/https://www.yahoo.com/news/ivory-coast-seeks-protected-status-staple-cassava-dish-201430644.html. dead.
  3. Web site: 2016-08-26. Attieke from the Western Region. 2020-06-05. Pulse Gh. en-US.
  4. Book: Sanni, L.O. . Successes and challenges of cassava enterprises in West Africa: a case study of Nigeria, Benin and Sierra Leone . etal . June 2009 . IITA . 978-9781313400 . 6 . 15 October 2012.
  5. Book: Owens, J.D. . Indigenous Fermented Foods of Southeast Asia . CRC Press . Fermented Foods and Beverages Series . 2015 . 978-1-4398-4481-6 . February 25, 2015 . 155.
  6. Book: Utlley, I. . Ghana - Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture . Kuperard . Culture Smart! . 2010 . 978-1-85733-604-7 . February 25, 2015.
  7. Book: Oppong . C. . Oppong . Y.P.A. . Odotei . I.K. . Sex . Sub-Saharan Publishers . Culture and development series . 2006 . 978-9988-550-55-4.
  8. James J. Singleton. African Cooking: The Most Delicious African Food Recipes with Simple and Easiest Directions and Mouth Watering Taste. 2014. ASIN:B00OL1QXFU