Ivorian Garba: Fried Tuna and Attiéké, Abidjan Street Food

Name: Ivorian Garba: Fried Tuna and Attiéké, Abidjan Street Food
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Côte d'Ivoire, West Africa
Ingredients: 250 g dried attiéké; 300 g fresh tuna, in steaks or fillets; 1 onion, thinly sliced; 1 tomato, diced; 1 fresh green chili, chopped (or a small amount of green chili paste, if unavailable); 1 stock cube (or 1 teaspoon fish stock powder); 2 tablespoons flour, for coating the tuna; Oil, for frying; Salt and pepper

Garba, fried tuna served on hot attiéké, with onion, tomato and chili. A sourced recipe for this Abidjan street food dish, ready in 30 minutes.

Prep.

15 min

Cuisson

15 min

Total

30 min

Servings

2 servings

Niveau

Easy

Cuisine

Côte d'Ivoire, West Africa

Ingrédients

Ingredients

250 g dried attiéké
300 g fresh tuna, in steaks or fillets
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 tomato, diced
1 fresh green chili, chopped (or a small amount of green chili paste, if unavailable)
1 stock cube (or 1 teaspoon fish stock powder)
2 tablespoons flour, for coating the tuna
Oil, for frying
Salt and pepper

Préparation

Method

1

Pour the 250 g of dried attiéké into a bowl, add 20 cl of lukewarm water (never boiling), mix, cover and let it swell for 5 to 8 minutes.
2

Cut the tuna into pieces, season with salt and pepper. Coat each piece in flour.
3

Heat 2 cm of oil in a frying pan. Fry the tuna for a few minutes on each side, until golden and crisp.
4

While frying, thinly slice the onion, dice the tomato and chop the chili.
5

Reheat the attiéké for 3 to 4 minutes over low heat, fluffing it with a fork, with the crumbled stock cube, or steam it for a few minutes.
6

Plate the hot attiéké, arrange the fried tuna on top, and garnish with onion, tomato and chili.
7

Serve immediately.

Astuces et conseils

Dried attiéké rehydrates in 5 to 8 minutes in lukewarm water, versus a few minutes of steaming for fresh or frozen attiéké.

Pour aller plus loin : histoire, variantes, accompagnements et conseils

In brief

Garba: fried tuna served on hot attiéké, with onion, tomato and chili
Origin: Côte d'Ivoire, born in the streets of Abidjan
Essential ingredients: attiéké, tuna, onion, tomato, chili
Fast street food, sold at stalls run by Hausa traders

Origins and cultural history of garba

Garba was born in the streets of Abidjan during the 1970s. Its name is said to come from Dicoh Garba, then Ivorian minister of Animal Production, who reportedly had cargoes of tuna intended for export, until then thrown away, redistributed to traders at the port of Abidjan. The dish, attiéké and fried tuna, has since been sold in small street stalls largely run by Nigerien traders, particularly Hausa traders.

Garba's success grew from the 1990s onward with the rise of zouglou, Ivorian popular music, which brought garba stalls closer to the universities and nightlife spots of Abidjan. It remains today the city's most widely eaten street food, also known as attiéké fish, zéguen or garba dur.

What are the essential ingredients of garba

Garba requires few ingredients, but each one matters to recreate the taste of the Abidjan stalls.

Dried or fresh attiéké
Fresh tuna, in steaks or fillets
Onion
Tomato
Fresh chili
Stock cube

Nutritional benefits of garba

Raw tuna provides, per 100 grams, about 117 kilocalories, 19.8 grams of protein and 4.2 grams of fat, according to the Ciqual table from ANSES. Dried attiéké as sold provides, per 100 grams, about 387 kilocalories, 0.9 grams of protein and 92 grams of carbohydrates; once rehydrated, water accounts for nearly half the weight on the plate. Frying the tuna adds a share of fat that depends on the amount of oil absorbed.

Frequently asked questions about garba

Where does the name “garba” come from?

The name is said to come from Dicoh Garba, Ivorian minister of Animal Production in the 1970s, who initiated the redistribution of tuna cargoes intended for export to traders at the port of Abidjan. The dish later took this minister's name.

Can garba be prepared in advance?

Tuna is best fried just before serving, to keep its crust crisp. Attiéké, however, can be rehydrated a little in advance and reheated when plating.

Where to find garba ingredients in France?

NKOSI sells dried attiéké and garba condiments (chili, stock) and ships them 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 59 €.

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