Sikasso's food reflects its position on the wetter, greener edge of Mali — more vegetables, more fruit, and a heavy use of peanut and dah (sorrel leaf) sauces. The local mango is the best in the country; in season (March–May) it is sold by the bucket for less than the price of a coffee.
Look for tô, the millet polenta eaten with a sauce of okra or dah, at any roadside woman's stall. Grilled chicken with attiéké (cassava couscous from Côte d'Ivoire) is everywhere along the southern road. For sit-down meals, the small restaurants around the centre and on the road to the Mamelon serve standard Malian fare — riz au gras, capitaine fish from the Niger, mafé with peanut sauce. The hotel restaurants offer simple European cooking at higher prices.