Bassi Salté is Senegal's festive millet couscous dish — a celebratory meal prepared for major occasions like Tabaski (Eid al-Adha), naming ceremonies, and family reunions. The dish consists of beautifully steamed millet couscous served with a rich lamb or beef stew that includes vegetables and sometimes white beans.

The steaming of millet couscous is a more involved process than preparing semolina couscous: it requires multiple rounds of steaming with water added and the grain fluffed between each round to ensure each grain remains separate and fully cooked. The millet has a distinctively nutty, earthy character that stands up beautifully to the rich meat stew poured over it.

Bassi Salté reflects the older, pre-colonial culinary tradition of Senegal centered on millet rather than rice. While rice has become the dominant starch in Senegalese daily cooking, millet-based dishes like bassi and thiakry preserve a connection to centuries of agricultural and culinary heritage. Preparing bassi for a celebration is a mark of respect for tradition and family ancestry.