Who invented jollof

Musicians have joined in the banter too, with Akon claiming Liberian Jollof is the best , even though he's from Senegal. Ghanaian musician Sister Deborah released an anthem in called Ghana Jollof with lyrics including "Ghana Jollof, yummy; Nigerian Jollof, it is funny".

Senegalese chef Pierre Thiam, who owns Teranga restaurant in New York City, believes that this banter is both "playful and really serious". No killings! No blood," he said. Everyone thinks that their mother makes the best.

I enjoy both the Nigerian and the Ghanaian and even the Sierra Leonian Jollof dishes, but in my humble opinion, nothing compares to the original one: Senegal Jollof. As much as West Africans enjoy these good-natured differences of opinion, there's no doubt our love for the dish can bring us together. It's easy to understand why all hell broke loose when celebrity chef Jamie Oliver cooked Jollof rice and shared his recipe on his website in West Africans forgot that they had a Jollof war going on.

Outraged, their collective response was to drop everything, hold hands and charge for Oliver's website. They may have been arguing over whose Jollof was best in West Africa, but they were not going to allow anyone to mess with their culinary treasure. Hashtags like jollofgate were unleashed on Twitter. With ingredients including lemon, coriander and parsley, Oliver's Jollof was for many a twist too far, even though he stressed that his recipe was his own take on Jollof.

Africans were concerned that if this went unchallenged, cultural misappropriation could quite easily make Oliver's version the official Jollof rice. Yet, by and large, the Jollof debate has been positive and has increased awareness of and interest in West African food. The top 10 fastest-growing food trends for predicted by Whole Foods included food from West Africa: peanuts, lemongrass and ginger; grains like teff, sorghum, fonio and millet; and the superfood moringa were all mentioned as traditional West African flavours that "are popping up everywhere in food and in beverage".

And, as if an awakening in the diaspora, Jollof is suddenly everywhere too. World Jollof Day has been celebrated every year, on 22 August, since , with photographs and videos unleashed on social media. As African restaurants around the world become ever more mainstream, they are adding even more variations and interpretations to their Jollof offerings.

London's Ikoyi dishes up smoked Jollof rice with crab custard; while Teranga's Jollof rice finds new form in an "Ancient Vegan Bowl", topped with a sweet potato and black-eyed peas stew, a kale and organic red palm fruit oil stew, and spicy plantains. With the increase in Jollof's global popularity, Thiam believes that "We will see a growing interest for the dish and for African foods in general.

So much so that online wars are ongoing to protect it. In West Africa, sacred Jollof rice is a fragrant dish that is revered across the sub-region for its unique sweet taste and subtle spiciness. It is also the source of heated discussion online among Nigerians , Ghanaians and Senegalese as to who owns the bragging rights to the dish.

However, in order to understand the magic of Jollof or who can rightfully lay claim to it, first its history must be understood. Jollof is believed to have originated in the Senegambia region of West Africa among the Wolof people, where it is known as benachin.

The mouth-watering meal has travelled throughout the sub-region because of the frequent cultural exchange that goes on there. As such, it has evolved into several regional varieties, laced with the heritage of the place where it is prepared.

Nevertheless, it maintains its magic and is relished all over Africa. The urge to appreciate and define Jollof is so strong that when Jamie Oliver published an inaccurate recipe for Jollof in June , West Africans united to criticise the adulterated dish — Ghanaians and Nigerians worldwide made it clear that his version had strayed too far from its beginnings.

The misrepresentation of Jollof rice is frowned upon as it is treated with great pride, especially with the international recognition that the meal has garnered by the Jollof Wars. But the perennial conflict between Nigerians and Ghanaians as to where the dish originated and whose version is best should not even exist, as history credits the Senegalese for its invention.

However, the wars continue, resulting in many viral music videos , songs, articles and cook-offs. However I am also somewhat intimidated by the idea of steaming rice.. Wow thank you so much for sharing all of this! West African food is not something I really know anything about and finding your Instagram and blog has been very eye opening. I am grateful for you sharing your own knowledge and experiences, and encouraging me to try do my own research too.

Looking forward to the second part to this. If you want to learn more about the history of Jollof Rice, please check out this post: Jollof Rice History. If you want to try it out for yourself, I have an in-depth step-by-step Jollof Rice recipe you can […]. This was super insightful! Thanks so much for the deep dive, and the Gullah Geechee video was very informative as well. To learn more about Jollof Rice History, please check out this post.

And lastly, to learn about the most popular ways to cook Jollof Rice depending on the country, […]. Learning about this history is fascinating! Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us. What is Jollof Rice Jollof rice is a rice-based dish cooked in a spicy tomato-based sauce. Jollof History: Ingredients To understand the history of Jollof, we must first look at the ingredients.

Ingredients for Thieboudienne Senegalese Jollof Ingredients for Ghana Jollof Obviously these ingredients might have changed from the original version but it is just to show you what goes into making Jollof Rice from the inventors Senegalese to the imitators Ghanaians and other West African countries Rice is as much African as it is Asian. Indigenous Rice geographical distribution. Photo from Lost Crops of Africa: Volume 1 Grains Tomatoes, onions and peppers are not indigenous to West Africa, but were introduced probably through trade and travel.

Thiebouddiene, jollof from Senegal How the spread of Jollof Rice might help us understand when it was created The Americas The timeline for the popularized fable set around the s does not make sense. April 6, By thecanadianafrican.

February 1, The Everyday Staple: Oats August 27, Important Spices in Ghanaian Cooking November 30, Reply Natasha April 7, at pm I absolutely love the posts , so in depth, ive learnt so much about other foods in the world. Reply Sheena April 7, at pm I have never seen anyone really unpack the history of jollof like this. Reply Pam T April 7, at pm This is awesome content. Reply Galit April 8, at am Wow thank you so much for sharing all of this!

Reply HD April 9, at am This was super insightful! Reply Nicole April 23, at pm Learning about this history is fascinating! Reply Senegal: vegan thieboudienne - Vegan Physicist June 28, at am […] To learn more about the culturally important jollof rice, visit vegan blogger Afia Amoako The Canadian African who has a great series about Jollof rice, including a post on how the dish varies across the region and the history of the dish.