History of Jollof Rice

There has been a war in West Africa for decades. A war that has affected everything from football to social media to sometimes even politics. A war not just between Nigeria, Ghana, and Senegal but a war between every other person who claims their recipe is the best. It has spread even outside Africa. The war of Jollof rice. Today we are talking about its history on today’s episode of stuff you’re too lazy to google. Jollof is believed to have originated in the Senegambia region of West Africa among the Wolof people, where it was known as benachin.

The origin of Tomatoes and Peppers

To know where jollof rice came from we need to know more about the ingredients. The tomato is believed to have humble beginnings as a small yellow cherry-shaped fruit existing in the sunny, dry, and high altitudes of the Andes mountain range of South America. It isn’t known exactly when the fruit came into existence, but scientists have hypothesized that Indigenous peoples traveled with the tomato northward to present-day Mexico and Central America and began domesticating it by 500 BC. Peppers, also a member of the nightshade family have a similar origin story but their domestication can be traced back to 5000 BC. They managed to travel out into the islands of the Caribbean Sea as well as through Central America and Mexico. Commissioned by Spanish monarchs, pirates C. Columbus, and later H. Cortes, both played a vital but messed up the role in the movement of both fruits to Europe. The trade routes established by them ensured that they made their way to the African continent. C. Columbus, while attempting a shortcut to Asia, found himself in the Caribbean. After seeking refuge with the indigenous Taino people of (Jamaica), Columbus committed acts of genocide when Taino hospitality wore thin. The crops he and his crew were once generously offered, he used them and brought them back to Europe. Some of those crops included pepper.

The mastermind behind Jollof rice.

There is actually someone who is credited with creating jollof rice. Her name is Penda Mbaye.. She was a Hairdresser but more importantly, she was a chef at the colonial Governor's residence in Senegal, based near the Senegal River delta and Portuguese trading posts She created a dish with barley, fish, spices, and vegetables cooked together but there was a barley shortage so she replaced it with rice. She documented the Senegalese dish as Thieboudienne which became Zame in mali and in Nigeria and Ghana it is known as Jollof rice.

Jamie Oliver's Jollof rice

Even though these dishes are similar, they still cause a lot of controversy as to which is the best Especially between Nigeria and ghana. Speaking of controversy, a lot of it was caused in 2014 when a certain popular chef tried his hands at Jollof rice. Let’s just say Jamie Oliver won't make that mistake again. For you to unite Nigeria and Ghana in Jollof rice you must have done something horrible. His jollof rice looked like he lost the actual recipe mid-way cooking and decided to wing the rest. When you start adding ingredients like parsley and cherry tomatoes on the vine then you know you’ve lost the plot. After the incident, Nigeria and Ghana went back to their war which has not yet been resolved.

Conclusion

Jollof rice has gone through many changes over the decades and it obviously will not be the same as the original but its core will always remain the same and it will remain a staple of West African culture for years to come. As to which I think is the best I think this quote from Saqera Kokayi, a Brooklyn Based editor for the Best of Vegan sums it all up “There is no one recipe to follow. Jollof rice preparation is truly an art form.”