May the best Jollof win!
There is a sort of sibling rivalry that exists between Nigeria and Ghana. Apart from the fact that they are still dragging the Giant of Africa title to date, there are also the unending Jollof wars.
Cardi B’s and Mark Zuckerberg’s comments on loving Jollof rice were notable times the fight about this lovely dish went rival. Even a Ghanaian artiste, Sister Deborah had to sing about it.
Do you know the funniest thing? Jollof did not even originate from either of these countries. Did you also say wonders? Na so. Apparently, Jollof rice was invented by a woman from the Wolof tribe of the Senegambian region.
Anyways, it’s time to address what makes these two versions of this widely loved African dish different.
1. Type Of Rice Used
In Nigeria, we use long-grain parboiled rice while Ghanaians use Thai Jasmine rice.
By parboiled rice, we mean rice that has been partly boiled before. On the other hand, the Basmati rice used by Ghanaians contains a higher starch content compared to the long grain.
2. Spices
Bayleaf is to Nigeria Jollof as Shito is to Ghana Jollof.
As a Nigerian, smoky party Jollof should be nothing new to you. That’s because we have the bay leaf and firewood versions as secret ingredients for that unique taste.
But as for Ghanaians, what firewood? Only Shito, a special sauce that contains oil, ginger, seafood, tomatoes, garlic, and spices.
3. Mode Of Preparation
Perhaps we should conduct a quick Nigeria litmus test for you–how do you prepare your rice?
As Nigerians, we wash out part of the starch in the rice at least twice before parboiling again. But none of that double rinses or parboil procedure when preparing Ghana Jollof.
Before I go, allow me to stoke the fire of this war by saying Nigerian Jollof is the G.O.A.T. Argue with your keypads.
#SabiChow dishes light servings of everything food and drinks. This edition highlights six popular local drinks in Nigeria.
