Types of Suya in Nigeria

Which suya meat is the most common?

Beef. Wikipedia says suya is generally made with thin-sliced beef, lamb, goat, ram or chicken, and Saveur says it is usually beef. Organ meats such as kidney, liver and tripe are sometimes used, and chicken gizzards are common at Lagos grills. What is on offer changes from stall to stall and night to night.

The spice and the method stay the same whatever the meat: thin pieces, a coat of oil and yaji, a hot charcoal fire, and onion, tomato and extra spice to finish. The difference is in the bite and the cooking time.

What is beef suya?

Beef suya is the classic: lean beef cut into very thin slices, coated in groundnut oil and yaji, threaded tightly onto wooden skewers and grilled over charcoal until the edges char. It is sliced off the stick into bite-size pieces and served with onion, tomato and more spice. Most stalls start their menu here.

Serious Eats uses flank or sirloin for its home version, and the thinness of the cut is the whole point: slices about 3 mm thick cook in minutes and take the spice on every side. Our suya recipe page (/suya-recipe/) gives the full method for four people.

Cow hump suya (tozo)

Some grills offer the hump of the cow, a fattier cut. A 2024 review in The Infatuation of a northern Nigerian suya takeaway in London explains that on its menu tozo is the cow hump, and calls the grilled meat "ludicrously tender". Ask for it by name where it is offered; it is not on every grill.

What is ram suya?

Ram suya is suya made with the meat of a ram, an adult male sheep, instead of beef. Wikipedia lists ram, lamb and goat beside beef and chicken as suya meats, and a 2026 Leadership feature names beef, ram or chicken as the usual three. It has a stronger, richer flavour than beef.

It is sliced, spiced and grilled exactly like beef suya, and the hot, nutty yaji suits its stronger taste. Lamb and goat are cooked the same way where they are offered. As with every meat, ask what is on the grill that night: not every stall has ram.

What is chicken suya?

Chicken suya is chicken coated in yaji and grilled over charcoal on skewers, the same way as beef. It is one of the usual suya meats, milder than beef, and the nutty spice clings well to it. Unlike beef, chicken must be cooked all the way through, so it takes a little longer on the fire.

Serious Eats says its suya rub is as good with chicken as with beef. At home, boneless thighs sliced thin stay juicier than breast. The US Department of Agriculture's safe minimum for poultry is 74°C (165°F) in the thickest piece, so check with a thermometer if you are unsure.

What are kidney suya, liver suya and gizzard suya?

They are suya made with offal instead of muscle meat. Saveur reports that kidneys, livers and chicken gizzards are often skewered and grilled beside the beef at Lagos stalls, and Wikipedia lists kidney, liver and tripe. Each eats differently: kidney is firm, liver is soft and rich, and gizzard is chewy.

Kidney suya

Kidney is sliced and spiced like beef. It has a firm bite and a strong taste that the hot yaji balances, and it should be cooked through but not dried out.

Liver suya

Liver cooks fastest of all and turns hard and grainy if it stays too long on the coals, so it is grilled hot and quick. Done well, it is soft and rich under the spice.

Gizzard suya

Gizzards are a chicken's muscular stomach: small, dense and chewy. They are threaded whole or halved, and need longer and more turning than slices of beef to cook through.

Is there fish, shrimp or vegetarian suya?

Yes, though they are less usual. Wikipedia notes that seafood such as shrimp is sometimes used, Serious Eats says its spice rub works with fish and some vegetables, and Saveur mentions a popular vegan suya made with mushrooms. These are versions of the idea, with the same yaji, rather than the street classic.

Fish and shrimp cook in a fraction of the time beef needs, so they go over the coals last and come off quickly. Mushroom suya keeps the nutty, smoky taste for people who do not eat meat, but yaji's peanut is still in it.

Is kilishi a type of suya?

Kilishi is suya's dried cousin rather than a type of suya. Wikipedia calls it the dried version of suya: thin sheets of meat dried in the sun, coated in a peanut and spice paste, dried again and briefly roasted. It keeps for months, so it travels far better than fresh suya does.

The Guardian Nigeria wrote in 2020 that many Nigerian food lovers compare suya with kilishi, and that, unlike suya, kilishi endures: it can be kept for months without changing its taste, which makes it a ready travel souvenir. Wikipedia's suya article also names balangu among the other grilled meats of the same cooking tradition.

Which types of suya are in the Mai Suya game?

Mai Suya has nine meats to grill. A new stall starts with beef and chicken; liver, gizzard, kidney, ram, beef cut, fish and shrimp unlock over the nights that follow. Each has its own cooking time and price, and customers in different parts of the game's Lagos favour different meats.

Liver unlocks on night 2, Gizzard unlocks on night 2, Kidney unlocks on night 3, Ram unlocks on night 4, Beef cut unlocks on night 5, Fish unlocks on night 7, Shrimp unlocks on night 7. The menu page lists every meat with its skewer price, cooking time and the places that favour it. It is a game, not a guide to a real stall, and its meats and prices are simplified for play.