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The Ghana vs Nigerian jollof continues to attract global attention on social media with many Twitter duels on which nation has the best party jollof. But does Jollof rice really have a standard recipe?

Today, I will like to show you another angle, relax and follow the gist.

Few years ago, while attending a lecture on West African history, the lecturer mentioned something about Jollof rice being indigenous to the Tukulor Wolof (Jolof Empire). I initially thought it to be a joke but later realised this wasn’t one. I really took a lot of time to do my personal research into the culture and peculiarity of the People of Jolof. Here are some amazing facts to note.

The origins of Jollof rice could be traced to the 1300s in the ancient Wolof Empire (also called the Jolof Empire), which extended to parts of modern day Senegal, The Gambia and Mauritania. Rice farming flourished in this region, hence, the Jollof began as a dish called thieboudienne, prepared with rice, fish, shellfish, and vegetables. As the Empire grew, the Wolof people dispersed across the region and settled in different parts of West Africa, taking their sumptuous rice dish with them.

Today, virtually every West African country has at least one variation of Jollof, which both divides and unites the region. Each nation and family adds their own twist and interpretation, which perhaps is the root of the fierce competition taking place across the social media. 

The major rivals seem to be Ghana and Nigeria. Of course, we also have Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Cameroon featuring in the food beef. The Gambia and Senegal are quite laid-back and rarely enter the Jollof controversy; after all, they gave it to the world. One major issue with the Jollof rice is the variety in available recipes with as many similarities and differences; and with the common oral traditions of passing down recipes, what else could be expected?

These two nations (Ghana vs. Nigeria) have been rivals in quite a lot, especially football (lol, that’s a story for another day). But as much as citizens of both nations pick Twitter fights, they seem to admire each other’s culture.

Of course, foreigners are sometimes forced to pick sides between the two types of Jollof, I think there shouldn’t really be a beef as to which is better, we should rather see it more in the light of enjoying variety. One main difference in the Jollof recipe is the type of rice used. Ghanaians use aromatic basmati rice, which gives it extra flavour, while Nigerians use long grain rice, believing that it is best for absorbing flavour. Both countries enjoy this gentle teasing, seeing it as a battle of wits where each tries to wear the other down with words.

Ironically, the feud actually brings Nigerians and Ghanaians together, certain people have described it is a love language between both countries similar to the dynamic of siblings teasing each other. Many non-African celebrities have given their verdict on whose jollof is preferable. Sometime in October 2021, while discussing with Nigerian celebrity, Yemi Alade, Ed Sheeran said he loves Ghanaian jollof, though he hadn’t tried the Nigerian one, lol.

If you ask me, I would say neither has a superior recipe for cooking Jollof, it simply is a question of who is cooking and who intends to eat it. The Senegalese Jollof (Thieboudienne) sef no too appeal to me (just kidding o 😂).

Thanks for reading through, let’s know what you think in the comments.