African superstar: jollof is the most famous dish in West Africa
Where is the tastiest jollof made, in Nigeria or Ghana? Jollof is West Africa’s most popular rice dish. The dish made with rice, tomato, onion and spices is prepared differently in every country and region. West African jollof lovers do agree on one thing: that jollof by Jamie Oliver was a complete disgrace.
Jollof has a centuries-old tradition. The famous rice with tomato sauce was probably first cooked in Senegal. The Portuguese had trading posts there, where tomatoes were also imported after 1492. Perhaps Senegalese Penda Mbaye cooked the first jollof: she was the governor’s cook and replaced the grains in a local dish with rice, stewing a delicious, unctuous pot of tomato, rice and fish.
#jollofwars on Twitter
In 2014, things really blew up on Twitter when someone compared the jollof his girlfriend had made with his mother’s. People from Nigeria and Ghana in particular engaged in a verbal battle: where does the tastiest jollof come from? Mark Zuckerberg visited Nigeria in 2017 and called the jollof he ate there ‘awesome’. But really, what does he know about it? Senegal’s Ministry of Information responded immediately: their jollof is far better, the minister told CNN in an interview.
Nigeria versus Ghana
There are quite a few different versions of jollof. In Ghana, it is always made with spices such as cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon. The rice is cooked in chicken stock (if the jollof contains chicken) or beef stock. In Nigeria, jollof is much spicier: habanero peppers, red bell pepper and onion. In addition, the jollof is cooked over open fires, giving it a delicious smoky flavor. Liberia also likes things spicy, with a generous handful of chili peppers. In Senegal, it contains tamarind and some fish. In Cameroon, carrots and green beans are added as well.
Jamie, no!
But all West African jollof experts agree on one thing: the version of the rice dish made by Jamie Oliver made absolutely no sense. He added cherry tomatoes and coriander, which sent Twitter into a frenzy with the hashtag #jollofgate.
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