The Ivory Coast or Côte d’Ivoire is considered the cultural hub of West Africa.  It has two official capitals. Yamoussoukro is the political and administrative capital, while Abidjan serves as the economic capital of the country. Abidjan is often called the “Paris of West Africa,” and much of its beauty derives from its setting on the rim of a lagoon at the edge of the ocean.

A few interesting facts …

Ivory Coast is one of the largest producers and exporters of coffee, cocoa beans, and palm oil.

The Basilica of Our Lady of Peace in Yamoussoukro is the largest church building in the world with an area covering 323,000 sq ft.

The trade in ivory which gave the country its name had almost died out by the 18th century.

The Ivory Coast national football team is nicknamed “Les Eléphants” (the elephants).

Côte d’Ivoire (which is the country’s preferred name for itself) is an anagram of “erotic video”.

According to Lonely Planet some of the highlights include surfing at Assinie beach, the rainforest of Parc National de Taï and hiking to the summit of Mt Tonkoui for a view of 3 countries.

Some recipes I came across for Côte d’Ivoire – Maafe (meat in peanut sauce), Attiéké (grated cassava) and poulet bicyclette (guinea fowl).  I opted to cook Kedjenou (slow cooked chicken) with rice.  It was very simple and pleasantly tasty.

Rating 7/10

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 1.5 hours

Serves 2-3

4 chicken drumsticks & 2 chicken breasts

1 medium onion
1 spring onion
1/2 fresh red or green pepper
1 can of tomatoes
1/2 tablespoon bouillon (1 maggi cube)
1/2 tablespoon ginger paste
1/2 tablespoon garlic puree
1 fresh sprig thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 habenero chilli pepper
Salt and pepper

 

Preheat the oven to 170.

Remove the skin from the drumsticks and trim off excess fat, pat the chicken dry with a kitchen towel and sprinkle with salt.
Slice the onion, spring onion and pepper.
Add all the ingredients to an oven proof casserole dish with lid and stir until everything is mixed together.
Seal the dish with aluminum foil and then cover it with the lid.
Place in the oven and shake the pot once or twice during cooking without removing the lid.
Cook for 1 & half hours.
Let it stand for 5 minutes, then remove the chicken from the bones and serve with rice.