Ivory Coast Staple Cassava Meal Gains UNESCO Heritage Status

Attieke has become a defining feature of Ivorian culture and a source of pride exported across the continent. Sia KAMBOU / AFP

UNESCO on Wednesday welcomed attieke, the quintessential dish of Ivory Coast, and the skills involved in making the fermented ground cassava meal into its list of humanity's intangible cultural heritage.
Pronounced "atchekay", attieke looks a tad like couscous, takes a couple of days to make from scratch and is a mainstay staple all over the country and others in west Africa, AFP said.
Over time, it has become a defining feature of Ivorian culture and a source of pride exported across the continent.
"A key dish in Ivory Coast's rich culinary heritage, attieke is deeply rooted in the daily lives of its communities," Ramata Ly-Bakayoko, the country's permanent delegate to UNESCO, told the body's 19th session on safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in Asuncion, Paraguay.
Often accompanying fish and meat in sauce, attieke "is eaten every day at various ceremonies such as weddings, christenings, funerals and community gatherings", Ly-Bakayoko said.
Making the cassava semolina requires know-how "based on precise gestures and traditional techniques that have lasted for centuries", she added.
Communities pass on "this cultural practice from generation to generation", mainly "from mother to daughter", making it "a pillar of their identity and that of the whole of Ivory Coast".
In mid-2024, the African Intellectual Property Organization registered a collective trademark preventing cassava meal produced in other countries from being marketed under the name attieke.