Did you know that World Jollof Rice Day was celebrated on August 22nd? We missed it too! Jollof is a one pot dish, of rice, spices, meat and veg - it was first served in the Wolof Empire*, which covered modern day Senegal, Gambia and Mauritania - but now most countries in West Africa have their own version of the recipe. It is ten years since Jamie Oliver got into trouble demonstrating his own recipe on TV - despite the varied versions from the different countries, his was deemed definitely inauthentic!
In Norwich at the Summer Market the other week, Bob bought a jar of jollof paste from Shirley, an enthusiastic Londoner who is bringing her family's spice blend to the table, making it easy for everyone to put together a pot of jollof.
*Spelt Wolof, it is pronounced Jollof. The empire lasted from 14th-16th centuries. Maps below show the location then and now!
That looks wonderful!
ReplyDeleteVery tasty
DeleteOooh-that sounds delicious and like you, I can’t eat anything too spicy. As my sense of smell/ taste hasn’t recovered from Covid in April, I too am always sniffing things to see if I can enjoy them. Catriona
ReplyDeleteI think Bob would make things much spicier of he were not preparing food for me to eat!
DeleteI've not tried it!! Kx
ReplyDeleteYou can make it vegetarian if you do not want to add meat
DeleteFascinating information, it's a very economical dish isn't it, even a little bit of meat goes a long way. Poor Jamie is often slated for being 'inauthentic', but I usually find his substitutions work really well.
ReplyDeleteAs with many 'traditional' dishes, I think the quantity of meat included would depend on the wealth/poverty of the cook. But I like one pot dishes which can be easily extended with more rice or veg
DeleteI learned another new thing from your blog! It sounds delicious.
ReplyDeleteI had a Nigerian roommate when I was in college and she used to make Jollof. Glad you enjoyed Bob's version of it. :)
ReplyDelete