At the beginning, informal "asses on the ground
They were born in the early 1950s on the initiative of Ghanaian mothers, relayed by the Baoulé women. Based on an exchange of good practices, the maquis originally presented themselves as reception areas aimed at recreating a semblance of a family courtyard for workers from all over the sub-region, at a time when Côte d'Ivoire was draining a large workforce. The mothers who ran these popular canteens received a financial supplement from them, enabling them to increase their household budget.
These small gargotes, formerly known as "culs par terre" (asses on the floor), initially belonged to the informal sector. Managed by families and private individuals, these small restaurants often operated completely illegally. (Another interpretation explains the origin of the term "maquis" because under the Single Party, opposition members "went underground" and met in these places to exchange and debate policy.)The different types of maquis
The maquis are laid out as landscaped spaces, usually facing the street, where people can eat and drink while watching television or listening to music around simple tables usually armed with a crowd of plastic chairs. They are a must in popular Ivorian life and offer a variety of local dishes and drinks at unbeatable prices. The period of recession in the late 1980s (known as the "conjuncture") that followed the Ivorian miracle can also explain the growing success of the maquis, whose main asset, in addition to the conviviality and atmosphere that prevailed there, was to offer at more than affordable prices a good synthesis of typical dishes of Ivorian gastronomy.
Over time, some unpretentious canteens became true gastronomic receptive that sometimes compete with the best tables for the quality of the plate. A democratic space par excellence, one meets both the worker and the businessman who come to deal with important issues. The maquis today comes in many variations: from the original "maquis-cour", generally reserved for connoisseurs and regulars, to the "cul par terre" maquis and the kiosk where you can eat on the sly, through the itinerant maquis, with its braziers on the look-out for the construction site worker, to the more chic "maquis-ministre". Their popularity even makes them an alternative system for finding one's way around town, in the absence of effective urban street name marking.
The 1,000 maquis de fête in Marcory
The festive maquis is called the "hyper", a model above the others with its thunderous decibel streams, DJs and physio-vacuum cleaners, like those found on rue des Mille maquis in Marcory. If in the 2000s the rue princesse in Yopougon was the most prominent, it was destroyed in 2011 for renovation work. Other more fashionable corners have taken over. Marcory is particularly prized by the Abidjanese and lovers of authenticity today. A very important district in the modern Ivorian musical culture, it has served as a starting point for several coupé-décalé artists. Tourists generally opt for Zone 4, which has a large number of trendy restaurants, bars and clubs (more than 70 on a square of barely 1 km!).
Maquis, instructions for use
It may not be necessary to specify it, but we are telling you anyway in case it is your first time in Africa: do not go there in the spirit of an HSE inspector. These small, popular establishments that grow like mushrooms everywhere generally offer rudimentary comfort and hygiene. Sandy courtyards or grounds, plastic or wooden chairs and tables, possibly with a waxed tablecloth. Before serving your dish, you will usually be given a bucket of water so that you can rinse your fingers. This waits on the floor next to you and, together with a small bag of Omo or Nile detergent, will prove very useful for degreasing post-washing phalanges.
In general, in the maquis, we eat dishes cooked on demand: the waiting time can be quite long and varies according to the chosen dish. Grilled and braised dishes take much longer to prepare than sauces (seed, peanut, leaf, etc.). An informed gourmet is worth two. Calling half an hour in advance to place your order can be effective. Once there, all you have to do is put your feet under the table and wait for your dishes to arrive while enjoying a cold beer to whet your appetite.What do we eat in the maquis?
Sometimes there is a clear difference between the menu, which offers a wide choice of dishes, and the actual offer, which is much more limited. It is customary for room staff to check with the kitchen what is available or not before serving, but this is not yet a widespread practice in Côte d'Ivoire, so don't be surprised if the waiter comes back to you a few minutes after you have placed your order to tell you that the dish you have chosen is not or no longer available that day. The same goes for the ingredients of certain dishes, which many waiters will not know about if you ask them ("If you'll wait, I'll ask around in the kitchen").
Ivorian specialties . Skewers of meat or fish, braised dishes, or fish soups (with crab, and seafood). Each address has its specialties.
The Alloko. Some scrublands are also close to the "alloco", a real institution of alloco (fried plantain bananas). The best known in Abidjan is the Cocody allocodrome.
The attiéké. Or cassava semolina, a speciality of the lower Ivorian coast. In the maquis and among the braising women, it is traditionally bought in the form of small plastic bags, "balls" of 100 grams sold 100 FCFA each, hence the frequent question: "How much do you want for attiéké? »
Bushmeat(s). Game in this category is generally poached in the bush: it ranges from the popular agouti, whose meat is highly prized by Ivorians and which can be cooked in almost any sauce, to the doe (generic term used for all types of antelope) and the snake, via the warthog, the porcupine (here called hedgehog), the armadillo, the bat, the pangolin and even the chimpanzee. Officially banned from Ivorian plates and kitchens in September 2014 because of the Ebola virus, venison made a resounding return to the bush in September 2016, with the lifting of the "embargo" that had affected bushmeat for two years. The happiness of some people makes the misfortune of others: for game, whose hunting is supposed to have been banned by a decree promulgated in... The arrival of covid-19 encouraged the state to re-enact the "strict ban" on bushmeat consumption in March 2020, since pangolin is a reservoir of the virus and circulates on Ivorian market stalls.
The maquis, "institutions" for eating in Abidjan
Some maquis are far from being small bars where you can drink a cold beer while chatting. They are real culinary tables of reference to taste an authentic Ivorian cuisine, where kebabs and braised dishes are legion
Chez Ambroise - Marcory Centre. Here you can taste "the best brochettes in Abidjan", beef, grouper, snails, fish or chicken braised with attiéké, yam or alloco fries. Overjoyed braisers, folkloric tourist dances animate the place.
Maquis du val - Cocody Ambassades. Ivorian, African and European specialties, and signature dishes such as rice with olives, garba du Val and grouper brochettes are on the tempting menu of this inescapable establishment appreciated by both locals and expatriates.
Maquis Sole Plus - Treichville Arras. You have never eaten such soles: huge, with a melting and tasty flesh, whether grilled or braised, all accompanied by the traditional onion-tomato salad and the garnishes of your choice (alloco, attiéké, yam, etc.).
The landing stage - Treichville lagoon. A bucolic setting particularly magical at sunset and at night. On the edge of the lagoon in a lush and colorful garden, it offers one of the most beautiful views of the city. On the menu: grills and brochettes with sauces and kedjénous, salads and French dishes
Chez Ernest - Cocody Anono. In this small and unpretentious establishment, you can enjoy a melting beef, perfectly cooked and deliciously seasoned, accompanied by French fries, rice or other, as well as large and beautiful salads served with a succulent vinaigrette
Chez Tantie Alice - Marcory Poto Poto. At the VM (Old Mother) Tantie Alice, you can enjoy excellent fish, crabs, shrimps fried, baked or prepared in soup, accompanied by good alloco and local attiéké, or regional specialties such as akassa or ablo.
Chez Arthur - Marcory center. The table is very popular in Abidjan! The specialty here is the fisherman's plate (fish soup, snails, squid, crayfish and crabs), with natural or red oil attiéké, etouffee of mâchoiron and braised ox tail.
At Miss Zahui - Cocody Riviera Palmeraie. Miss Zahui is a reference in Abidjan in terms of fish preparation, especially the very popular grilled fish-attiéké-alloco, its specialty. The place is very popular and often crowded.
