Tô

What it really is

A firm Burkinabè staple made from maize, millet or sorghum flour and served with sauce.

Tô is a cooked grain paste, commonly made by stirring maize, millet or sorghum flour into hot water until firm. It is eaten by hand with a separate sauce. This maize-based preparation differs from Angolan funge, whose characteristic flour is cassava.

Tô is a firm grain paste and a staple in Burkina Faso, served with a separate sauce. This entity describes the maize version: corn flour is stirred into hot water while cooking until it thickens and can be shaped. Millet and sorghum versions also occur in the wider dish family, but they are not the ingredient profile represented here. Unlike Angolan funge in this corpus, this Tô uses maize flour rather than cassava.

How it's served

• Serve freshly prepared at a temperature appropriate to the dish.
• Regional recipes and household ingredient choices vary.

Serve warm as a mound or firm portion, with sauce in a separate bowl or over part of the serving. The staple is commonly eaten by hand with a small piece used to gather sauce. It should be cohesive rather than a pourable porridge. A meat or vegetable sauce changes the plate, but remains separate from the plain flour-and-water base.

How to write it on the menu

• Confirm the kitchen’s ingredients and preparation for each batch before making allergen or dietary claims.

Name the grain flour used and specify that sauce is separate or identify what it contains. The entity represents maize Tô; millet and sorghum preparations need corresponding ingredient profiles. Do not transfer sauce allergens to the plain staple.