Rumor has it that some Ivorians can eat atiki in the morning, afternoon and night.

Fermented cassava has long been a sign of national identity in Ivory Coast, beloved at all levels of society in the West African country. Now, the United Nations has secured Attiki’s status as one of the most important services in the region.

In December, UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) recognized atiki’s status as a symbol by listing this dish as an intangible cultural heritage. The move elevates the refreshing meal to the status of other world-famous favorites like South Korean kimchi and Mexican tacos.

For Ivorian women who prepare the dish in large quantities for sale, and who have passed down intense cooking skill across generations, attieke is also a means of communication and a path to financial freedom.

Sometimes called “at-chie-kay,” the meal is also sometimes called Ivorian couscous and has been marketed by some as a gluten-free alternative to regular couscous.

Now, with UNESCO recognition, its brand could receive a new boost. But what are the origins of atiki, why do Ivorians love it so much, and how is the dish prepared?

Why was Atiki recognized?

A UNESCO committee added a refreshing touch to the organization’s list of intangible cultural heritage on 5 December at the body’s 19th session on the protection of intangible heritage in Asunción, Paraguay. The list highlights practices, knowledge or expressions of cultural significance specific to a region or country.

Besides the Ivorian dish, UNESCO has recognized 10 other cultural meals or drinks, including Japanese sake, a traditional rice wine; and Caribbean cassava bread eaten by indigenous communities.

When considering attieke, UNESCO noted the skills related to its production. “Knowledge and skills are transmitted orally and through observation within families… and related knowledge and skills play an important role in the social life of communities,” the report stated.

Atiki’s extensive preparation methods have been passed down through generations in Ivory Coast, where women often organize themselves into local production companies and produce them in large quantities.

Ramata Le Bakayoko, Ivory Coast’s delegate to UNESCO, said during the session in Paraguay that the meal was based on “subtle gestures and traditional techniques that have lasted for centuries” and was “deeply rooted” in life and culture.

What is the origin of attieke and its traditional significance?

UNESCO noted that atiki is an accessible and affordable dish that has become a staple of family meals. It is also often served at weddings, birthdays or other occasions, with a side of chili sauce, grilled or fried tilapia, and chopped onions.

This dish is usually prepared by women in the southern lagoon parts of Ivory Coast, especially from the Adoukro, Afikam and Ebri groups. In fact, the name is derived from an Iberian term for the meal: “adjeke”.

In recent decades, production has spread across the country, and demand for vintage is growing in neighboring countries such as Burkina Faso and Ghana and in the African diaspora across Europe and North America.

Producers are increasingly exporting pre-cooked meal that can be easily prepared at home. Countries like Burkina Faso are also seeing Attic producers.

How is atik made?

Steamed fermented cassava pulp often takes three to five days to prepare from scratch.

Groups of women usually gather to prepare the meal in large batches, then divide it and sell it to market vendors in small plastic bags.

Magnan, a fermentation process that takes days, gives atiki its distinctive flavour. Here’s how to prepare the meal traditionally (plus easy home-cooking alternatives):

• First, lightly boiled or braised cassava roots are soaked for one to three days to ferment and act as yeast in the final product.
• Then more fresh roots are peeled, chopped and washed. The mixture is then crushed in a grinder along with the fermented roots, some heated palm oil and some water. The option of crushing ice in a home blender will achieve similar results.
• After that, the pulp is divided into plastic bags and left for 12 to 15 hours to ferment further.
• After that, the fermented paste is squeezed well to release the water. Typically, Ivorian women prepare the meal in batches using an industrial press. For home use, placing the paste in a cloth or sieve bag, placing a flat board on it, and then placing heavy objects such as stones on it for hours can achieve similar results.
• Next, the drying paste is sieved, usually using a 5 mm sieve to remove the peel. The Ivorian women then use their hands to fluff the dough so that the granules form better.
• The dried paste is then spread in thin layers on fabrics and placed in the sun to dry. This process takes about half an hour or more, depending on the weather. At home, the oven will do the job.
• Once again, the entire dried kernels are sieved and fluffed to remove any fibers or other materials.
• The kernels are then steamed—rather than cooked—in traditional vats designed to hold hot water below the dried vintage. At home, you can use a metal sieve lined with a cloth and placed inside a bowl of hot water. Steaming takes 30 to 40 minutes.
• Finally, the final product, which is soft and delicate, is usually packed in small plastic bags to be sold in markets.

What are the controversies surrounding Atiki?

Many Ivorians have a regional passion for behaviour. Some believe that increasing production levels in neighboring countries poses a threat to national identity.

In 2019, there was outrage on social media platforms in Ivory Coast after Burkinabe chef and entrepreneur Florence Bassonou, founder of Faso Atiki, won an award at the Agricultural and Livestock Resources Expo in Abidjan. Many Ivorians were angry that a non-Ivorian national won the competition over local entrepreneurs.

In December, after the meal was recognized by UNESCO, locals told a Radio France Internationale (RFI) correspondent that global recognition was important and would help Côte d’Ivoire’s style stand out.

A local resident in the Anounou suburb of Abidjan told the reporter: “We often hear that Burkina Faso is the first or China is the first in producing Atiki, and we who invented Atiki are the last.”

In 2019, the Ivory Coast government began an attempt to trademark the name “Attieke des Lagunes”, or “Attieke of the Lagoons”, and its extensive preparation methods, in order to protect its authenticity.

In mid-2023, the African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI), which brings together 17 French-speaking African countries, certified the Ivorian Attieke and its production methods by granting it PGI or “Protected Geographical Indication” status. This label highlights Attieke’s special cultural connection to Ivory Coast and distinguishes it from products made in other countries.

What other African dishes have UNESCO heritage status?

With its new status, Atiki joins the Senegalese rice dish, Thibou Dion – the only other sub-Saharan African dish recognized with the UNESCO honor.

Originating in the northern city of St. Louis, the meal is prepared with fish and vegetables and is often eaten for lunch or dinner. In the dominant Wolof language, it literally means “rice and fish”.

This dish was recognized by UNESCO in 2021, along with the rumba dance from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kenya’s Isikoti dance has also been included in the list in 2021.