Ivory Coast’s beloved staple food gets UN cultural heritage status
Ivory Coast’s beloved food, atatka – made from fermented cassava flour – has been officially added to UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage.
Atieke, pronounced etcheke, is a type of couscous made from cassava roots. It is so liked that many people eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Nicknamed “Ivorian couscous”, it is typically eaten with grilled fish. It originated centuries ago in the coastal regions of Ivory Coast, but is now popular throughout West Africa.
Ramata Li-Bakayoko, Ivory Coast’s UNESCO representative, said at the 19th session on the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage in Paraguay that etiké are “deeply rooted in the daily life of their communities”.
Japanese sake, an alcoholic beverage made from grain, was also added to the list this year.
In Ivory Coast, atieke is often served at ceremonies such as weddings, baptisms, funerals, and community meetings.
But it is more than just a meal, it is a livelihood for some and a path to financial autonomy for many women.
Ettike are traditionally made by women and girls. This process can take a few days as there are many steps inherent in the tradition, and the skills required to build the atari have even been added to the UNESCO heritage list.
The cassava root is peeled, grated and mixed with the already fermented cassava.
The pulp is then pressed to remove starch and later manually processed and dried and then steamed.
It is then taken to local markets, where it Usually sold in plastic bags, each containing one ball of attika.
But at its core, Attikay is cultural connection from one generation to the next.
Recipes, processes and methods are passed from mother to daughter and the cuisine is “a pillar of their identity and that of the entire Ivory Coast,” Ms. Lee-Bakayoko said.
The UNESCO list highlights intangible cultural heritages that are under threat, emphasizing the need to protect and preserve traditional practices. UNESCO says that Atiek’s inclusion highlights its importance to humanity collectively.
This delicious and spicy dish has also created controversy on the continent.
In 2019, there was outrage in Ivory Coast when Florence Bassonou, founder of Faso Etike from neighboring Burkina Faso, won an award at the Abidjan International Agricultural Show.
Many Ivorians were angered by a foreigner triumphing over their national dish.
Earlier this year, the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization registered a collective trademark to prevent cassava produced in other countries from being sold under the name Atièke – in the same way as Champagne produced in the region of France under the same name .
