Gastronomy in Côte d'Ivoire is as varied as it is original. The local people have no shortage of ingenuity when it comes to adding value to a dish that at first glance would have interested no one. Such is the case with bananas cooked over embers, accompanied by roasted peanut seeds: “blissi tébil”.
Made from ripe or unripe plantain bananas, braised over a low charcoal fire, “blissi tébil” is sold on almost every street corner in Abidjan and inland towns.
Blissi vendors accompany it with peanuts, and sometimes chili powder or smoked fish. Once considered a “poor man's meal”, braised banana is now so famous that it is eaten by all social classes. And its name has a lot to do with its popularity with Ivorians.
For the record, the name “blissi tébil” comes from an action taken by a famous Ivorian artist. At the time, Blissi Tébil, a tradi-modern singer, decided to go on hunger strike to denounce the social situation of artists in Côte d'Ivoire. After half a day on strike, paparazzi spotted the artist with braised banana and peanuts in hand, breaking his improvised fast.
Since then, braised banana with peanuts has been renamed “blissi tébil”. And it has begun to be eaten by the entire population, without exception.
Prices for “blissi tébil” depend on the shape of the banana. They vary between 100 and 200 CFA francs, within everyone's reach... In times of plantain shortage, however, prices rise slightly.
