East Africa · Street food
Inyama y'ihene yokeje (Marinated flame-grilled goat brochettes)
Tender, smoky skewers of goat meat basted in spiced garlic-chili oil and flame-charred over open glowing acacia charcoal.
The story
Throughout the hilltops and bustling lakeside nightspots of Burundi, inyama y'ihene yokeje is the centerpiece of social life in neighborhood cabarets. Friends gather at dusk around open brazier fires, ordering rounds of skewers alongside cold Primus beer or fresh banana wine. A master brochette chef knows that authentic Burundian skewers alternate lean leg meat with tiny squares of rich kidney fat, which continuously bastes the lean meat as it caramelizes over hardwood charcoal.
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