📷 Closely related photo — Photo via Pexels/Unsplash — free for commercial use
Sweet, ripe plantain gets a spicy kick — Ivory Coast's answer to fries is dipped in chili, not ketchup.
Aloco is ripe plantain sliced and deep-fried until the outside caramelizes and the inside turns soft and sweet, then topped with a spicy sauce made from blended chili, onion, and tomato. Street vendors often serve it alongside grilled fish or a hard-boiled egg for a more filling snack.
Why it's made this way: Ripe plantains are abundant and cheap across Ivory Coast, and frying them is a quick way for roadside vendors to turn the fruit into a hot, ready-to-eat snack — the fiery sauce balances the plantain's natural sweetness and turns it into something more than dessert.
Roughly what's in it
350kcal
4gprotein
60gcarbs
12gfat
Estimated per typical street-vendor portion — not lab-tested.