Street Meal · Fried Tuna & Cassava

Garba

Photo: KONE SEYDOU KS / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

The dish is said to be named after a Hausa vendor called Garba, usually described as coming from Niger, who helped popularize fried tuna with attiéké in Abidjan.

Garba pairs chunks of deep-fried tuna with attiéké — grated, fermented cassava couscous — topped with tomato, onion, and a fiery chili sauce. Dished out fast and cheap from open-air stalls called 'garbadromes,' found on nearly every street corner in Abidjan.

Why it's made this way: Garba grew out of Abidjan's working-class neighborhoods, where affordable fried fish and cassava offered filling, inexpensive meals for laborers and students.