In each of the seven continents of this world, there are communities that have sub-communities which have communities within those communities. Nonetheless, each of these localities have an unimpeachable factor of culture that is passed down from generation to generation.
In West Africa, that unimpeachable delicacy is Jollof rice. Depending on the region, the ingredients may vary. Generally made with tomato, tomato paste, rice (of course), vegetables and sometimes, a variety of meats, this dish has caused casualties between the West African nations of Nigeria and Ghana.
Having been a trending topic as the object of contention between Ghanaians and Nigerians, it is evident that the beef is beyond stew and is brewing in real life! In December of 2015, Lateefah Oyedepo, a Nigerian, and Tracy Osei Assibey, a Ghanaian, were both suspended from the College of Southwest London when their dispute on what kind of rice to use became physical. The fight was separated by one of the college’s lecturers, Mrs. Adelaide Walters, who mediated the two by proclaiming that Jollof is actually from her home country of Sierra Leone. In this case, ignorance is definitely bliss. Jollof rice is and has been historically proven to be of Senegalese origin, the Wolof tribe to be precise. Wolof is a language spoken in Senegal, Mauritania and Gambia. The actual term “jollof” is synonymous to “benachin” meaning "one pot," in which Jollof is usually cooked in one large pot.
As the spouse-searching incentive, Jollof in West Africa is sacred. Distinct to locality with taste, ingredients may vary as some countries put corned beef or seafood in their Jollof, as well as chicken and oxtail. Most of the Francophone countries use broken rice, a long grained rice similar to jasmine rice, while those in Nigeria use parboiled enriched rice, which is the same consistency to well-cooked brown rice.
With that being said, it is essential for both parties (Ghanaian and Nigerian) to understand how mutually intelligible this dish is. It is not limited to their opinionated legalities on what Jollof is supposed to taste, look or smell like. It is one of the most popular dishes to have followed behind the diaspora.
Jollof in Senegal is now known as thieboudienne and the Ivory Coast it is known as riz au gras or simply fried rice. In America, we can acknowledge Jollof as the progenitor of the famous Louisiana rice dish, Jambalaya. Each country embraces its own variation of Jollof, and as food mongering beings, we should too.
