Squaring off over jollof rice
West Africans are divided on who makes the best version of the dish, but united in condemnation of Jamie Oliver’s recipe
By Elias Kühn
In September 2017 the Nigerian minister of information, Lai Mohammed, caused national outrage when he told a reporter that Senegal made the best jollof rice. Although the tomato-based rice dish is said to have originated with the Wolof people in Senegal and Gambia in the 13th or 14th century, it is now regarded as a delicacy across west Africa. Following what was regarded as treachery, thousands of Nigerians took to Twitter calling for the minister’s resignation – until the vice-president reassured his countryfolk that their jollof was “the best in the world”.
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