Jollof rice
Rice cooked in a fried-down base of tomato, pepper and scotch bonnet, until each grain is red and separate.
What makes it jollof rice
- Long-grain rice cooked in the sauce, not served under it.
- A base of tomato, red pepper, scotch bonnet and onion, fried until the oil separates.
- Grains separate, never mushy.
Where it comes from
Its name points to the Wolof, or Jolof, empire of what is now Senegal, whose thieboudienne — rice cooked in a fish and tomato broth — is often called its ancestor. From there it spread across West Africa and changed with every country.
Nigeria and Ghana argue, affectionately and endlessly, over whose is better. Nigerian party jollof, cooked over firewood in huge pots, is prized for its smoke and the caught layer at the bottom.
How it varies
- Ghanaian jollof
- Often with basmati and a more aromatic spicing.
- Thieboudienne
- Senegal's rice and fish, the dish it's said to come from.
- Party jollof
- Firewood-cooked, smoky, with the prized burnt bottom.
