By Friday Nwosu
West African countries like Nigeria, Ghana and Senegal have always ascribe to themselves the originator of the red spices and tasty food called Jollof Rice.
The tasty meal is one of the staple food you will find in most homes in Nigeria and most West Africa countries with different varieties. But while these countries are still laying claims to being creators of the meal, founder, Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg had a sumptuous plate jollof Rice in Nigeria, giving Nigeria bragging rights on social media.
Mark Zuckerberg, who arrived the country Wednesday held an interactive session with many Nigerians who were longing to ask him burning questions.
One of the questions asked was if he had tasted any Nigerian food yet. Zuckerberg, whose simplicity and humility has drawn many people to him, began by explaining that he had tasted Jollof rice and that it was really delicious.
According to a publication in Nigerian Guardian , Jollof rice has its roots in the Ancient Djolof empire.
Mid-13th to End -15th century
Jolof Empire (also Djolof, Wolof), controlled parts of Senegal and the Gambia was established, as a vassal of the Mali Empire. It became a metropolitan power over the united federation of ‘coastal kingdoms’ – Waalo, Kayor, Baol, Sine and Kingdom of Saloum. At that time, the region – from the Gambia River to Liberia was also known as the Grain or Rice coast because rice, millet and other grains were farmed on the banks of the Senegal River. Judith A. Carney in her book, ‘Black Rice, The African Origins of Rice Cultivation in the Americas’ writes of the Senegal River as being an established Portuguese trading port – tomatoes, spices and other ‘foreign’ produce & products would have been available.
19th Century
Oral tradition calls Penda Mbaye – a woman from Saint Louis – the birth mother of Thieboudienne, thus Jollof rice. Penda, a cook at the colonial governor’s residence lived near the Senegal river delta where foreign produce was abundant. Apparently, she substituted rice for barley during a shortage, creating a flavourful combination of fish and vegetables with tomatoes. Eventually Thieb became a favored dish across Senegal and was elevated to national dish status. James McCann in his book, ‘Stirring the Pot’ postulates that Jollof rice spread across West Africa with the Djula people, tradesmen from the historic Mali empire who traversed borders and countries, making a mark on local culture
1970s – 1980s
Jollof Rice becomes popular with ‘Uncle Ben’s’, an imported brand as the rice of choice. It also becomes the star of Sunday Lunch in homes and institutions around the country
2013
In recent times, there has been rivalry between Ghana and Nigeria on who invented Jollof. According to a 2013 poll, Ghanians invented Jollof, 23% Senegal, 21% Nigeria, 12% Botswana. Botswana????? Do they even know Jollof Rice there? 5% Cameroon
October 2014
#Jollofgate – the controversial event of a British chef, Jamie Oliver putting his spin on Jollof. It drew outrage from ‘West Africans’ across the globe, uniting Ghanians and Nigerians alike.
August 2015
First World Jollof Rice Day Celebrated in honour of red rice. No one can say for sure how the date came about but it was celebrated in Nigeria by Etisalat, Kitchen Butterfly and a few others
December 2015
First Wolof/ Jollof exhibition featuring the work of Folakunle Osun – an exhibition exploring the ‘popularity and migratory controversy of Jollof Rice’. It consisted of a huge outdoor art installation of 70 unique 3-legged cooking pots mounted on wheels.’
In the end, no country needs to ‘own’ Jollof, and its heritage. Cooking some Jollof? Need some inspiration? Then check our worldjollofday.com, where recipes like Snail Jollof and Nkwobi Jollof will leave your mouth watering.
