If a foreigner has one day in Lagos, Abuja, or Port Harcourt, skip the hotel buffet and take them to the road. Nigerian street food is how the country actually eats: hot, fast, seasoned without apology, and sold by people who have kept the same spot for years. Follow the crowd. A busy grill means the meat turned recently. A queue at a puff-puff tray means the oil is fresh.

Tell them to say “small pepper” if they cannot handle heat, and “more pepper” if they can. Eat with the right hand when the food comes on paper. Carry cash, because not every hawker takes a transfer. Stop the car when you smell charcoal. That smell is usually the meal.

1. Suya

Suya is the one to put in a visitor’s hand first. Thin strips of beef, ram, or chicken are rubbed in yaji, a peanut and chilli spice, then grilled over charcoal until the edges crisp and the middle stays juicy. The seller slices it onto paper, adds raw onion and tomato, and shakes on more yaji. Night is the right time. In Lagos the suya man sets up at junctions after work, and the smoke pulls people off the road. The onion is not a garnish. It cools the pepper. Ask for mild on the first stick. The second stick is when they decide they can take the full spice.