What Is Placali? The Ivorian Fermented Cassava Paste Explained
Placali is an Ivorian staple of fermented cassava cooked into a smooth, slightly sour paste, eaten with a rich sauce. Here is what it is and how it is made.
African Stores Editorial Team
The short answer
Placali is a much loved Ivorian staple made from fermented cassava that is cooked and stirred into a smooth, soft, slightly sour and sticky paste. It is eaten by pinching off a piece with the hand and dipping it into a sauce, most classically a slippery okra sauce known as sauce gombo, or a rich palm nut sauce. Mild and gently tangy, it is naturally gluten-free and a filling everyday food across Cote d'Ivoire. In the UK the cassava and sauce ingredients to make it are sold by African food shops, which you can find near you on African Stores.
What to remember
- Placali is an Ivorian paste made from fermented cassava, cooked and stirred until smooth and glossy.
- It is soft, stretchy and slightly sour, with a mild, tangy flavour.
- It is eaten by hand, dipping pieces into a sauce.
- It is most classically served with slippery okra sauce (sauce gombo) or palm nut sauce.
- It is naturally gluten-free, as long as the cassava is properly fermented and cooked.
The sight of a smooth white mound of placali on the plate, a bowl of glossy okra sauce beside it, is instant comfort for many Ivorians living far from home. It is honest, filling, everyday food, the kind of meal that gathers a family around the table and leaves everyone content. Pinching off a soft piece and dipping it into a rich sauce is a small ritual that carries the warmth of Cote d'Ivoire with it.
There is quiet heritage in placali, in the patient fermenting of cassava and the vigorous stirring that turns a humble root into something smooth and satisfying. To make it in Britain is to keep that tradition alive, and to share a plate with a friend, showing them how to eat it with the hand, is to pass a little of that home along. That mild, tangy, comforting taste is the quiet gift of placali.
What Placali Actually Is
Placali is an Ivorian staple made from cassava, the starchy root that anchors so much West African cooking. To make it, the cassava is first fermented, which gives the finished dish its signature gentle sourness, then cooked and stirred vigorously until it comes together as a smooth, glossy, stretchy paste. The result is soft and slightly sticky, mild in flavour with a pleasant tang, and firm enough to pinch off in pieces. It belongs to the wider family of West African swallows, the soft starchy pastes eaten alongside a sauce, and sits comfortably within Ivorian food as one of its most familiar everyday dishes.
What sets placali apart is the fermentation. Where some cassava pastes are made from fresh or dried root, placali leans on that fermented tang, giving it a character closer to a mild sourdough than a plain starch. It is naturally gluten-free, since cassava contains no gluten, though it is important that the cassava is properly fermented and thoroughly cooked before it is eaten. The finished paste is smooth, elastic and satisfying, a plain but comforting base built to carry a flavourful sauce.
How Placali Is Made and Served
Making placali begins with the cassava, which is peeled, grated or pulped and left to ferment. This step develops the mild sour flavour and softens the root. The fermented cassava is then cooked and stirred hard over heat, worked continuously until the mixture turns from a loose mash into a smooth, thick, glossy paste that pulls away from the pot in a soft, stretchy mass. That vigorous stirring is what gives placali its characteristic elastic, lump-free texture.
Placali is almost always eaten with a sauce, and the pairing is the heart of the meal. The most classic partner is a slippery okra sauce, sauce gombo, whose silky, mucilaginous texture clings beautifully to the soft paste; you can read more about that style of sauce in our guide to okra soup. A rich, red palm nut sauce is another favourite, often served with fish or meat. To eat, you pinch off a piece of placali with the fingers of one hand, dip or roll it in the sauce, and swallow it without much chewing, the traditional way to enjoy a West African swallow.
Why Placali Matters in Cote d'Ivoire
Cassava is one of the foundations of the Ivorian table, and placali is one of the best loved ways of turning it into a meal. It is affordable, filling and deeply familiar, the sort of dish that appears at family dinners and at the open-air maquis restaurants where much everyday Ivorian food is enjoyed. Its fermented tang is part of what people mean when they talk about the taste of home. Like much Ivorian cooking, which is French-influenced West African and shares a great deal with Ghana and the wider region, placali shows how a simple root, treated with patience and skill, becomes something genuinely special. For many families it is comfort food in the truest sense, a reliable plate that is always welcome.
Where to Buy Placali Ingredients in the UK
Placali is a homemade dish, and making it from scratch calls for cassava along with the ingredients for the sauce you plan to serve it with, such as fresh okra for sauce gombo or palm nut for a palm nut sauce. African food shops that serve West African customers are the place to look, as they carry cassava, palm products, okra and the other bits and pieces you will need. If preparing fermented cassava from the raw root feels like a big job, staff in these shops can often point you to the right products to make it easier. You can find African food stores near you to see what is stocked nearby.
Frequently asked questions
What is placali?
Placali is an Ivorian staple made from fermented cassava that is cooked and stirred into a smooth, soft, slightly sour and sticky paste. It is eaten by pinching off pieces with the hand and dipping them into a sauce, most classically a slippery okra sauce (sauce gombo) or a rich palm nut sauce. Mild and gently tangy, it is a filling everyday food across Cote d'Ivoire.
What does placali taste like?
Placali is mild and gently sour, with a tang that comes from the fermenting of the cassava, a little like a soft sourdough. On its own it is fairly plain, which is the point, as it is made to carry the flavour of the sauce it is eaten with. Its texture is smooth, soft, glossy and slightly stretchy and sticky.
How is placali made?
Cassava is peeled and pulped, then left to ferment, which gives placali its signature mild sourness. The fermented cassava is then cooked and stirred vigorously over heat until it becomes a smooth, thick, glossy, stretchy paste. It is important that the cassava is properly fermented and thoroughly cooked before it is eaten.
Is placali gluten-free?
Yes, placali is naturally gluten-free, as it is made from cassava, which contains no gluten. It is a good option for people avoiding gluten, provided the cassava has been properly fermented and cooked. As always, if you are cooking for someone with a serious allergy or intolerance, check the specific products you buy.
Where can I buy placali ingredients in the UK?
Placali is made at home, so African food shops are the place to buy the ingredients: cassava, plus okra, palm nut or whatever your sauce needs. Shops serving West African customers stock the cassava and palm products that give the dish its authentic flavour. African Stores lists African and Caribbean food shops across the UK, so you can find one near you that stocks them.