Ghana Jollof Versus Nigeria Jollof

Every West African country has at least one variation of Jollof rice, and people swear one or the other is best tasting. The most passionate of ” jollof feuds” in recent times in the fierce Ghana and Nigeria Jollof war. This appears to be a never-ending harmless war with no winners- or rather two winners.

Jollof Rice
So what is Jollof Rice? Jollof, or jollof rice, is a rice dish from West Africa. It is typically made with long-grain rice,tomatoes, onions, spices, vegetables and meat in a single pot, although its ingredients and preparation methods vary across different regions.

Jollof rice originates from Senegal and the Gambia where the Wolof people of that region invented the dish. That explains why Jollof sounds similar to Wolof. The Wolof people were also called the Djolof or Jolof tribe. It is believed that Jollof was invented by a woman who lived near the Senegal river delta. It is said that this woman substituted rice for barley during a barley shortage. Using rice, fish, vegetables and tomatoes she created a tasty dish which was called Jollof. The Senegalese name for this dish is Thieboudienne

Differences between Ghanaian and Nigerian Jollof
And what are the differences Between Nigerian and Ghanaian Jollof Rice ? Opinions on this differ ? Some Ghanaians say the grains in Nigerian Jollof rice are too big and tasteless. Some Nigerians say the grains in Ghanian Jollof rice are too starchy. There are may videos and pictures on social media centered around the differences and preferences. Some years back , I believe in 2016, some people even tried to get Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook founder, to be a judge as to which jollof was better tasting !

Here are some YouTube Vidoes on the Raging Jollof War