Dibi

Dibi is Senegalese grilled lamb, cut into pieces and seasoned with onion, cumin and chilli. It is a festive dish and an everyday street food. Families cook it at Tabaski, the name used in Senegal for Eid al-Adha, and street stalls sell it as a hot portion. With so few seasonings, the quality of the meat and the heat of the grill decide most of the result.

What it really is

Lamb is cut into pieces and rubbed with chopped onion, ground cumin, chilli and salt, then grilled until the outside browns and the centre is fully cooked. Cumin gives the meat a warm, earthy flavour, and chilli brings the heat, which the cook can adjust. The onion softens over the fire and flavours the juices that run from the meat.

Dibi contains no declarable allergens in its classic form. Lamb, onion, cumin, chilli and salt are all free of them, so any allergen risk comes from bread, sauces or a marinade the kitchen adds.

How it's served

• Hot from the grill, cut into bite-sized pieces on a plate or board.
• Often with bread, which brings wheat onto the plate.
• With extra chilli or onion on the side for guests who want more heat.
• At Tabaski as part of a family meal, or at a street stall as a quick portion.

How to write it on the menu

• Name the meat as lamb, with the cut and the portion weight.
• Give the heat level, mild, medium or hot, because chilli strength varies from kitchen to kitchen.
• Flag wheat if bread is served, and ask whether any marinade or sauce contains mustard, sesame or sulphites.
• Say how it is grilled, over charcoal or on a gas grill, if you feature the method on the menu.