Forest Sauce · Yacouba & Wè
Sauce Kpléba
Photo: Traorejci / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
The ground Irvingia gabonensis seeds used in kpléba are also known elsewhere in West Africa as 'dika nut' or 'wild mango,' prized as the thickener behind Nigeria's ogbono soup.
Wild Irvingia (dika) nuts are ground and simmered into a glossy, nutty, slightly sticky sauce with meat or fish, traditionally spooned over pounded cassava foutou. Its texture is noticeably thicker and richer than everyday okra or eggplant sauces.
Why it's made this way: Kpléba is specifically tied to the Yacouba (Dan) and Wè peoples of Ivory Coast's mountainous west, where wild dika trees grow in the surrounding forest.
More from Ivory Coast
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