Snapshots from Bantyii Dibiterie, Dakar Senegal
One of the most authentic and exciting experiences I have lived while in Dakar was Bantyii Dibiterie, a hidden communal eating experience in the heart of Sandaga market.
On our third day in Senegal, one of our tour guides approached us saying we needed to try the street food in Dakar, the Dibi. Dibi are skewers of meat, usually sheep, chicken or beef cooked up over charcoal on basic metal grills and served with baguettes, onions, and mustard. The Bantyii was one of the most famous spots to eat the Dibi in Dakar. Our tour guide was very keen on taking us there. He however warned us that this was going to be a very unique and bizarre experience. I was so excited for our next adventure!
The Bantyii Dibiterie experience
Arriving there
My friends and I grouped among each other and took a taxi to the location our tour guide gave us. Thankfully, he also came with us as I can’t imagine having done this experience without a local friend. After a 10min drive, our driver pulls in the middle of the street, signaling that we have arrived. I was so confused.
Nowhere near us was any sign of restaurants or cafes. The street was dark, lacked any lighting, with bags of trash all over, beggars and street vendors walking around, with barely any sign of street food. I was starting to wonder if we were in the right place. Finally, our tour guide appears, and walks us towards a tiny door. I could not believe that we were going to have dinner around here. We finally were taken into a smoky doorway. What was beyond that was terrific.
The indoors
I entered the door and the inside seemed like a total blur at the beginning. Smoke coming from every corner, people talking and screaming and some waiting to get a seat. The space was a small hallway that was made up of a series of 5 to 6 grills connected to each other, apparently ran by different dibi experts from Niger, Mali, Guinea, and Senegal. The customers were as diverse: men, women, kids, young professionals, coming in, taking a seat at one of the grills and enjoying unlimited amount of meat. I had never seen this much meat in one space; I wondered how this supply chain system worked.
‘The Table’
After waiting for a couple of minutes, our tour guide told us to sit around one of the grills. The grill was basically squarely shaped, with one griller on one of its sides and benches on the other side for the customers. We sat on the bench, inhaling the smoke but also, the delicious smell of the meat being prepared. I, honestly, was starving and could not wait to taste everything!
The food
To my surprise, our dibi expert was barely looking at us, focusing on grilling the skewers; he also did not speak a single word in english. He started by putting a sheet of white paper in front of us, and added different spices and sauces. He then took from behind him a big amount of skewers and started grilling them on the fire pit we were sitting across. When the skewers were grilled, we started eating all different kinds of meats. Since no one spoke english, we just ate without really knowing what we were given, but it was so fresh and delicious, I couldn’t stop eating.
The bill
Our tour guide explained later on that the skewers included sheep and chicken. He also highlighted that the way this meal was priced depended on the number of skewers consumed. At the end of the meal, when everyone stopped eating, the dibi expert counted the skewers that each person had, to make up the bill. Each meat type had a different skewer color and a different price also.
Reflecting on my experience
The whole experience took a little more than an hour. Throughout my time there, local people came in and sat with us around the grill, smiling but also questioning our presence. I observed how bussing the place was, but also very communal. People, no matter where they were from, what they spoke and how they dressed, were reunited for the sole enjoyment of barbecue. I couldn’t but ponder how food, and specifically the family style meal could be the source of unity and love. These small habits prove how each culture is very unique.
I was very satisfied with what we ate; I finished the meal with a full tummy, and of course reeking of smoke. But it was definitely worth it: a unique and bizarre experience as we were warned. So if you are ever in Dakar, I urge you to pass by Bantyii Dibiterie, you will not regret it.
More Snapshots from Bantyii Dibiterie, Dakar Senegal
