Millet and sorghum are grains that grow well in the hot, dry climate of the Sahel — the strip of land just south of the Sahara Desert. They need much less water than rice or wheat, which makes them perfect crops for Burkina Faso where rainfall is unreliable. Growing tô ingredients locally means families can feed themselves even in years when rain is scarce.
To make tô, flour is stirred into boiling water over a hot fire and cooked slowly, stirring constantly to keep it smooth. As it cooks, it becomes thicker and thicker until it forms a solid, sliceable mass that holds its shape on the plate. The texture is a bit like very firm polenta or a thick mashed potato.
Tô is traditionally eaten with the right hand. You tear off a small ball of tô, press your thumb into it to make a little cup shape, then use it to scoop up sauce. This is a skill that takes practice — the tô needs to be pulled and shaped quickly before it gets too cool and stiff. Children learn this from a young age.
The sauce served with tô can vary enormously by region and season. Some common sauces include baobab-leaf sauce, sorrel-leaf sauce, peanut-and-tomato sauce, or a sauce made from dried fish and spices. The tô itself is quite mild-tasting, so the sauce is where all the rich, complex flavours come from.