APA-Abuja (Nigeria) Has the question been finally settled over which country in West Africa prepares the best Jollof rice?
The dish is prepared with tomatoes, meat, onions and spices cooked with vegetable oil in a single pot.
At least for this year The Gambia has been adjudged as the winner of the contest for this culinary rivalries with other regional pretenders such as Nigeria, Liberia, Ghana and Cameroon.
Led by chef Saikou Bojang, The Gambia reigned supreme at the West African Food Festival (WAFFEST) in Lagos, Nigeria recently.
Liberia represented by Wonyean Gaye and Femi Joyous Wilson came second behind The Gambia and vowed to bounce back in subsequent competitions.
The African mainland’s smallest nation of just over 2 million people has won the competition three times – in Ghana in 2017, in Nigeria 2018 and 2023.
Chef Bojang has been re-elected head of the West African Chef Alliance and confirmed at the Director of the multinational Africa Chefs Alliance.
A notable absentee at the WAFFEST competition was Senegal which together with The Gambia is widely touted at the undeniable originator of Jollof rice despite the same claim by Ghana, Nigeria and other West African nations.
Jollof is a variation of the word Wollof to denote a tribal people exclusively native to Senegal, The Gambia and parts of Mauritania.
These three nations were part of the Wolof empire of the 14th century.
WN/as/APA