Street Snack · Fried Plantain
Aloco (Fried Plantain)
Photo: Akouete / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Vendors deep-fry ripe plantain in the same oil used for savory fritters earlier in the day, so the naturally sweet fruit often picks up a faint savory edge from the pan.
Ripe plantains are sliced and deep-fried until caramelized outside and soft inside, then sold in paper cones by street vendors in Bamako's evening food stalls, often alongside grilled meat or a smear of chili-onion sauce.
Why it's made this way: Plantain frying arrived in Mali via the wider West African street-food circuit shared with neighboring Côte d'Ivoire, where the dish originated, and it's now a fixture of Bamako's after-dark snacking scene alongside nems and brochettes.
More from Mali
Attaya
Brochettes
Dèguè (Thiakry)
Riz au Gras (Malian "Fat Rice")
Tigadèguèna (Malian Peanut Stew)
Nems (Malian Spring Rolls)
Part of World of Street Food — 3248 dishes from 118 countries.
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