Garba! on est ensemble!

Garba!

The first day you arrive to Ivory Coast you will hear this word!

If you do not hear or see this plate while you are here, it means,  either they hated you or you spent too much time in a five stars hotel :D

Garba is the slang name for Attiéké; it's is a popular dish made ​​from Ivorian manioc (yes, I have heard this joke about YIH you eat a MANIOC so do spare me :D)  sold in small street stalls usually held by men from Niger ( Not Nigeria hein! Niger! ). It consists of Attiéké (ground manioc) in a couscous shape and pieces of fried salted tuna, fresh onions also accompanied by tomatoes and fresh chopped chilies and sprayed with cooking oil, all identified by a cube seasoning (cube magic beef ). It's also called attiéké-fish, zéguen, gbinzin, hay, Guero, ganguatte, Beton or zeh.

It is the ultimate  traditional fast food for the population of Côte d’Ivoire especially  Abidjan.

The name "garba" is clearly related to the fact that this dish is sold mainly by Nigerian nationals; "Garba" is a popular surname in Niger.

In 1990 with the arrival of a musical genre, Zouglou to Ivory Coast,  garba became increasingly popular among Ivorians.

The "garbadrômes" (where they sell garba) are installed everywhere along the streets, especially Yopougon, the birthplace of Zouglou. It used to be that you could purchased this meal with 150 CFA francs (Attiéké 50 CFA francs and fish  100 CFA francs), but today you must have the double of that to eat the dish ( 300 CFA about € 1/2).

OK, so enough with the boring technical description and lets see what garba is and how it is eaten!

This is how a garba dish looks like at a Garbadrome:

 This is how a Garba dish looks like at home :

This is how a Garba dish looks like at a restaurant (not recomended) :

This is a Garbadrome:

Attiéké sold at the market:

Attiéké sold at the supermarket:

The root  they make attiéké from:

Traditional tuna fish that is served with garba (highly recommended):

The Maggi Cube used with garba:

Garba in political life:

Garba in comics:

Some links on how to prepare garba:


1 - http://cuisine-ivoire.blogspot.com/2011/04/recette-garba-zeguen-ou-attieke-au-thon.html
2 - http://abidjan-blues.skyrock.com/639106752-La-semoule-de-manioc-specialite-Ivoirienne.html
3 - http://cookinggirl.canalblog.com/archives/2008/01/15/7499483.html


A blog post on garba:


1 -  http://petercherches.blogspot.com/2008/07/attieke-to-write-home-about.html

Wikipedia on garba :
 
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garba 




Garba50 the most notorious Ivorian rap band/political rap:

If you cannot find Attiéké AKA garba where you live,  send me an email and I will make sure that you get some.