Bushmeat · Western Forest
Zaho (Agouti Braisé)
Photo: Traorejci / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
The 'agouti' of West African menus is actually the greater cane rat, or grasscutter, not the South American agouti, and it's now also raised on farms; Ivory Coast temporarily banned bushmeat sales during the 2014 Ebola outbreak.
Agouti meat is braised over charcoal or simmered in a spiced tomato-chili sauce until tender, then served with rice or foutou. It's a long-standing bushmeat specialty of Ivory Coast's forested western highlands around Man.
Why it's made this way: Zaho reflects how forest-edge communities in western Ivory Coast have historically drawn part of their protein from hunted game rather than farmed livestock or fish.
More from Ivory Coast
Part of World of Street Food — 3443 dishes from 118 countries.
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