Kitfo: Ethiopian Tartare with Mitmita, Order 24 Hours Ahead

Kitfo is the Ethiopian tartare: beef minced by hand and seasoned with mitmita, a hot spice blend, and kibbeh, the herb-infused clarified butter. It is a festive dish, loved and a little rare outside Ethiopia. At Ge'eza it is on the menu at 9,000 F and must be ordered 24 hours in advance: speak to the team the day before. The restaurant is at 656 avenue Birago Diop in Point E, Dakar, open Tuesday to Sunday, 8am to 10pm.

What kitfo is

The word comes from an Amharic verb meaning to mince finely. The meat is not put through a machine: it is chopped by hand, with a knife, to keep some grain. It is then mixed with clarified butter flavoured with herbs and spices, the kibbeh, and lifted with mitmita.

The Ge'eza menu presents it in one sentence: the Ethiopian tartare, hand-minced beef seasoned with mitmita and kibbeh. The price is 9,000 F. The dish sits among the Ethiopian meat dishes, all of whose meat is bought fresh in Dakar.

Mitmita and kibbeh: the two pillars

Mitmita is a chilli-forward spice blend, sharper than the berbere that forms the base of the stews. It gives kitfo its edge: a frank heat that lingers in the mouth. If chilli worries you, the level of seasoning is a question to ask the team when you order. Ethiopian spices are explained in berbere, mitmita and niter kibbeh.

Kibbeh, or niter kibbeh, is clarified butter infused with herbs and spices. It coats the meat, gives it softness and scent, a little like an aromatic oil. All of Ge'eza's meat cooking is prepared following traditional Ethiopian recipes with this kibbeh.

Why order 24 hours ahead

Kitfo is not a dish you improvise. It calls for fresh meat, minced with care, then seasoned at the right moment. That is why the menu states it must be ordered 24 hours in advance and discussed with the team.

In practice, here is how to go about it.

• Write or call the day before, on WhatsApp or by phone, at +221 78 660 07 07.
• Give the day, the arrival time and the number of people.
• Say what you would like for seasoning and for cooking: this is the moment to talk about it.
• For dinner, also book a table on the booking page.

The house is closed on Monday: for a kitfo on Tuesday, write on Sunday.

Cooking: ask the team

Traditional kitfo is served raw, or barely warmed through by the hot butter. It is a matter of taste, and in Ethiopia the cooking level is often specified when ordering, from raw to well done. At Ge'eza the cooking options are not detailed on the menu. The safest approach is therefore to ask the team, when you place your advance order, what they offer and what they recommend.

It is a good habit with any tartare. If you prefer well-cooked meat, or have a particular reason to avoid raw meat, say so clearly when ordering, so the kitchen can plan.

How to eat it

Kitfo is eaten by hand, with injera. A piece of bread, a little meat, fold and bring to your mouth. For many people the texture surprises at first: fine, tender, scented with butter. The injera brings the acidity that balances the richness.

It shares well. If you pair it with a fasting dish, for instance a gomen at 5,000 F, collard greens sautéed with garlic and onion, you get a contrast that refreshes the mouth. A beyaynetu, from 7,000 F, can also arrive alongside so a table of several people has dishes for every taste: everything is in beyaynetu.

Drinks and what comes next

A rich, spicy kitfo calls for simple drinks. A bissap at 1,500 F, a tart hibiscus juice, or a birz at 2,000 F, Ethiopian honey water, both work well. Tej, Ethiopian honey wine, is 3,500 F for a festive meal.

At the end of the meal, the house offers the full coffee ceremony at 5,000 F per person, in three rounds, Abol, Tona and Baraka, with dabo, and lasting about 45 minutes. Here too, it is better to book it 24 hours ahead if you are a group, and to have it confirmed on WhatsApp.

Who it suits

Kitfo suits lovers of raw or lightly cooked meat, of tartare, of frank flavours and shared meals. It is less suited if you are discovering Ethiopian food and do not know what to expect: in that case, start with a tibs at 8,000 F or a beyaynetu, then come back for kitfo with knowledge.

For guests who do not eat meat, the menu has seven vegan fasting dishes, prepared without butter. A group meal is therefore easy to put together, with a kitfo in the centre and plant-based dishes around it.

Coming to Ge'eza

Ge'eza is an Ethiopian restaurant, an art gallery and a cultural venue in a villa in Point E, with a gallery lounge, a glass-roofed room and a terrace under the trees. To see the full menu with prices, go to the restaurant page.