Senegal and a Bonus: Côte d’Ivoire!

Africa has 54 countries on the continent and I have 18 of them on my list. Thankfully, a lot of the African restaurants I've found in Cleveland serve popular dishes from multiple countries, so hopefully this won't be too daunting of a task!

Today I decided to check out Choukouya Resto-Bar in Warrensville Heights, a nearby east side neighborhood.

They recently started serving lunch from 11am-3pm, but I think nighttime is where it's at for this place. There's a DJ booth and based on their Instagram, the dance floor gets packed with folks line dancing and doing semba, kizomba, and batchata at night!

Their lunch menu is limited so I had to make a last minute switch from Cameroon to Senegal after some quick Googling from my spot at the bar. Once I'm in the door, there's no turning back! I placed an order for Chicken Yassa, a traditional dish from Senegal, described on the menu as "caramelized onion cooked with fresh lime juice, green olives, mustard and our own crafted seasoning for an exceptional taste with grilled chicken and a side of steamed rice." After ordering, the server tried to warn me, making sure that I was okay with sour tastes (love them!) and spice (love it!).

And because I'm me, I couldn't stop with just one dish. I decided to start with the Alloco, a traditional dish from Cote d'Ivoire - "sweet banana plantain fried then sprinkled with salt! It gives a sweet, yet salty amazing taste served with some red sauce and chicken." I saw plantains and skimmed over the fact that there was chicken as well, so it was a whole second meal. Whoops.

Order in, time to research!

Senegal is located in Western Africa and shares borders with Mauritania, Mali, Guinea, and Guinea-Bissau. The country takes its name from the river that runs along its northern and eastern borders and Wolof history says the name derives from the local term Sunugal, meaning "our dugout canoe" (everyone is in the same boat). I love that! Like much of Africa, there is an ugly history of Portuguese slave trading and French colonization, but Senegal became fully independent in 1960.

Senegalese cuisine is influenced by Portugal, France, and North African countries, but also the many ethnic groups within Senegal, the largest being the Wolof. Because of the proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, fish is featured heavily, but chicken, lamb, peas, eggs, and beef are also used in Senegalese cooking. Due to the nation’s largely Muslim population, you won't find pork. Peanuts and millet are the primary crop, as well as couscous, white rice, sweet potatoes, lentils, black-eyed peas and various vegetables. Meats and vegetables are typically stewed or marinated in herbs and spices and then poured over rice or couscous. Throughout the country, meals tend to be served with everyone grazing from one bowl or platter using spoons or bare hands to scoop up meat and vegetables. Sosa kaani, a sauce made from Scotch bonnet peppers, is on every table at every meal (and it's delicious!).

Located on the south coast of West Africa, Côte d’Ivoire borders the Atlantic Ocean, with Liberia and Guinea on the west, Mali and Burkina Faso on the north, and Ghana on the east. Its name, meaning Ivory Coast, came from its trade in elephant tusks. I don't love that! First colonized by France in 1893, they gained their independence in 1960.

Ivoirian food is very spicy and eaten with the hands. Traditional dishes consist of rice with a pepper-flavored peanut sauce, and fish and fried plantains that is served in the coastal regions. The national dish is foutou, a thick, heavy paste made of mashed plantains or yams eaten with a spicy sauce or stew made of fish or meat.

Okay, that's enough research. It's time to eat!

My food photography skills will get better, I promise!

On the left is the Alloco - perfectly crispy and caramelized plantains with maybe the best chicken leg that I've ever had? I'd bet money that it was confit - a method of slow-cooking meat in fat - and that's why the skin was light and crisp and the meat was oh so tender. It came with a side of sosu kaani in a Senegalese crossover, which was a great balance to the sweetness of the plantains.


The Chicken Yassa, pictured on the right, was an explosion of flavors and all of them were excellent. The mountain of soft, caramelized onions paired with the punch of green olives and the tang of the mustard and lime juice along with falling off the bone chicken? Come on now! Each bite offered something different depending on what combination ended up on your fork, but every bite was a delight.

As you might have guessed, I ended up with a lot of leftovers to take home. The blessing and curse of being a chronic over-orderer. Thankfully, I can't wait to dig into this meal again!

I shared a little about my project with the server and he was so gracious to go over the expanded dinner menu with me, pointing out dishes from other countries on my list. I'm looking forward to going back for the full nighttime experience and based on photos, it's a good one.

Week 1, Meal 1, and Country 1 and 2 down. Cote d'Ivoire wasn't on my initial list, but I have a hard time limiting myself to one dish, so be prepared for this to happen again.

Choukouya Resto-Bar
4620 Richmond Road
Warrensville Heights, OH 44128
Website

Operating Hours
MON - FRI | 11:00am - 1:00am
SAT - SUN | 1:00pm - 1:00am