Côte d'Ivoire

In Côte d’Ivoire, hot peppers are vital to smallholder systems, with farmers growing Capsicum frutescens and annuum types similar to African bird’s eye (piment rouge, piment oiseau) and long red/green chilies. These supply markets fresh and dried, often sold in small mounds.

Piment is indispensable in sauces for attiéké (fermented cassava couscous), grilled fish, and braised chicken. A common condiment is a raw chili paste made by pounding fresh bird’s eye–type peppers with tomato, onion, garlic, and sometimes ginger, served alongside rice and plantain dishes.

Dried red chilies are ground into powders used in peanut stews and okra sauces. Women frequently manage chili marketing and processing, drying surplus and selling ground pepper in small sachets. While cocoa and coffee dominate exports, local piment varieties remain central to Ivorian daily cuisine and informal food economies.