Mishkaki

Mishkaki is beef cut into chunks, marinated in vinegar and spices, threaded on skewers and grilled over charcoal. It is a street food of Tanzania and is also made in Kenya. Grilled meat on skewers is common along the East African coast, and in Tanzania the dish is most often found at evening food stalls, where the skewers cook over open coals in full view of the customer.

What it really is

Beef is cut into bite-sized pieces and left to soak in a marinade of vinegar, garlic, cumin and chilli. The vinegar sharpens the meat, and the spices give it a smoky, hot edge once it is on the fire. The pieces are threaded onto thin skewers and grilled over charcoal, which chars the outside and leaves the inside tender. Mishkaki is a skewer, not a stew or a sandwich, and the beef is cooked in pieces rather than ground.

How it's served

• Hot from the charcoal, sold by the skewer and often several to a portion.
• Eaten by hand, straight off the stick, at a stall or to take away.
• Often with chapati or ugali, and a tomato and onion salad or chilli sauce on the side, which are separate items and not part of the skewer.

How to write it on the menu

• Name the protein as beef, state the cut or that it is chunks, and give the number of skewers and their weight.
• Say that the beef is marinated in vinegar and grilled over charcoal, so guests know how it is prepared.
• No common allergen is standard, but name any soy sauce, nuts, peanut or wheat-based side. Ask which vinegar is used, since some vinegars contain sulphites.
• State the heat level of the chilli, because it varies from stall to stall.