The authorship – and therefore origins – of jollof rice (called ceebu jën in Senegal, according to the Wolof spelling) is the subject of a spicy debate between West African nations. Particularly, Senegalese, Nigerians and Ghanaians claim ownership, and each believes their recipe surpasses all others.
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Ghana and Nigeria have been involved, for decades, in a fratricidal debate on who has the best jollof rice, but Senegal went quietly and received the international accolade. Unesco included the Senegalese version of jollof rice on the intangible heritage of humanity list. This certification was a recognition of the know-how of the Senegalese of an integral part of an intangible heritage.
In a bid to settle the issue, the word Jollof refers to an ancient kingdom, constitutive of Senegal between the 12th and the 13th century. The origin of the dish is linked to a particular period in history – the entrenchment of colonial rule in West Africa. Between 1860 and 1940 the French colonisers replaced existing food crops with broken rice imported from Indochina.
As it happens in history, when art reaches a certain fame or notoriety, its paternity becomes an object of controversy.
