What is the traditional Yemeni dish, Mandi?

STORY: How do you make the traditional Yemeni dish, Mandi?

Location: Sanaa, Yemen

The dish consists of lamb meat seasoned with a unique blend of spices

It’s cooked in an underground pit and served with rice

[Ali Saif, Mandi chef]

"It is necessary that the Mandi is cooked underground, buried in an underground pit, as you have seen. Sometimes it is cooked in tabletop ovens, but it is not of the same flavor and the quality as the buried ones.”

The dish originates from Yemen's region of Hadramaut

and is traditionally served at special occasions such as weddings

Restaurant owner Abdullah Bin Malik believes he was among the first

to introduce Mandi to people in Yemen’s capital of Sanaa

[Abdullah Bin Malik, Restaurant owner]

"Mandi meat was not known in Sanaa. It is a meal from Hadramaut. People here didn't know this dish until 1982 when we opened this restaurant and started serving it. This behind me is what we call Madhbi grilled meat.”