Grilled Skewers · Zebu Beef

Masikita (Zebu Skewers)

📷 Closely related photo — Photo via Pexels/Unsplash — free for commercial use

The skewers are tiny, just a few small cubes each, so they cook through in a couple of minutes over the coals and are usually bought several at a time.

Small cubes of zebu beef are seasoned with garlic, ginger and salt, threaded onto thin wooden skewers, and grilled fast over charcoal braziers set up on street corners. Vendors around Antananarivo sell them a handful at a time, often with a dab of sakay, the fiery Malagasy chili paste.

Why it's made this way: Zebu cattle carry deep cultural weight in Madagascar as a marker of wealth and status, and cutting the meat into thin, quick-grilling skewers let street vendors turn a prized protein into an affordable, everyday bite.