In brief
- Foutou plantain: paste of pounded green plantain and cassava, without salt or added fat
- Origin: Ivory Coast, West Africa
- Essential ingredients: green plantain, cassava, water
- Pounded staple dish, served in balls with a sauce (palm nut sauce, peanut sauce)
Origins and cultural history of foutou plantain
Foutou plantain is an Ivorian dish from the large family of pounded pastes of West and Central Africa, which also includes Ghanaian fufu or Cameroonian oura. In Ivory Coast, pieces of green plantain and cassava are boiled then pounded together in a mortar until a smooth and elastic paste forms, without any added salt or fat: the taste comes solely from the plantain and the cassava.
The paste is shaped into balls and served hot, by hand, dipped into a sauce simmered separately. Preparing foutou requires a precise pestle technique, still passed down in family kitchens and at markets in Ivory Coast, including within the Ivorian diaspora in France.
What are the essential ingredients of foutou plantain
The foutou plantain recipe is deliberately short: it needs only two starchy staples, boiled then pounded, and is finished at the table with an accompanying sauce.
- Green plantain
- Fresh cassava or cassava flour
- Cooking water
- Accompanying sauce, palm nut sauce or peanut sauce
What to know about foutou banane
Foutou banane is an Ivorian pounded dish made with green plantain and cassava, boiled and then pounded in a mortar until the paste is smooth and elastic. Nothing else is added to the paste: its taste comes only from the plantain and the cassava. It is shaped into balls, served hot and dipped by hand into a sauce simmered separately, such as palm nut sauce or peanut sauce.
Frequently asked questions about foutou plantain
Can foutou plantain be made without cassava?
Yes, a 100% plantain version exists, but the classic recipe combines plantain and cassava: cassava makes the paste softer and more elastic when pounded. Without it, the foutou stays firmer and a little less smooth, which remains perfectly edible.
Which sauce goes with foutou plantain?
The most common accompaniments are palm nut sauce, made from palm nut pulp, and peanut sauce. A light vegetable and meat sauce also works: foutou, neutral in taste, pairs with all the simmered sauces of Ivorian cuisine.
Where to find the ingredients for foutou plantain in France?
NKOSI sells the cassava flour used for foutou plantain, 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 €.
