In brief
- Yam foutou: pounded paste obtained by crushing boiled yam in a mortar
- Origin: Ivory Coast, West Africa, among the Gouro and Baoulé peoples
- Essential ingredients: yam, water
- Served hot, shaped into balls, with a simmered sauce such as palm nut sauce
Origins and cultural history of yam foutou
Yam foutou is an Ivorian dish eaten especially among the Gouro of the Marahoué region and the Baoulé, in the centre, east and north of Ivory Coast. This dense paste is obtained by pounding boiled yam in a mortar, until a soft and elastic texture is reached.
The same technique of pounded tuber is found throughout West Africa under other names: the iyan of Yoruba cuisine in Nigeria, or Ghana's fufu, whose name comes from Twi and means to crush or mix. In French, foufou and foutou refer to this family of pounded pastes, with usages that vary by country: in Ivory Coast, foutou most often refers to a pounded paste of yam, plantain or cassava.
What are the essential ingredients of yam foutou
The yam foutou recipe is deliberately short: it needs only one tuber, boiled then pounded, and is finished at the table with an accompanying sauce.
- Yam, white or yellow
- Cooking water
- Salt, optional
- Accompanying sauce, palm nut sauce or peanut sauce
What to know about yam foutou
Yam foutou is an Ivorian dish eaten mostly among the Gouro and the Baoulé, in the center, east and north of Côte d'Ivoire. The yam, white or yellow, is boiled and then pounded in a mortar into a dense, supple and elastic paste. It is shaped into balls and served hot with a simmered sauce such as palm nut sauce or peanut sauce, since the foutou itself has a neutral taste.
Frequently asked questions about yam foutou
What is the difference between foutou and foufou?
The two words come from the same root, a Twi verb meaning to crush or mix. In Ivory Coast, foutou most often refers to a pounded paste of yam, plantain or cassava, while foufou and fufu are the forms used in Ghana, Cameroon or the Democratic Republic of the Congo, most often for a cassava paste.
Which sauce goes with yam foutou?
The most common accompaniments are palm nut sauce, made from palm nut pulp, and peanut sauce. A light vegetable sauce also works: foutou, neutral in taste, pairs with all the simmered sauces of West and Central Africa.
Where to find the ingredients for yam foutou in France?
NKOSI does not sell fresh yam, a dry and ambient product only, but offers the cassava flour for foufou, a similar dry starchy staple, and ships it from the Paris area within 24 to 72 working hours, to mainland France (2 to 3 working days) and to ten European countries. The minimum order is 39 €: in France, delivery to a pickup point is then free, and home delivery is free from 69 €.
