Merely two years later, Ghanaian musician Sister Deborah released “Ghana Jollof,” a catchy song which took several digs at Nigerian Jollof, and claimed Ghana’s version of the dish to be much, much more superior. The quirky tune is filled with gut-punching lines for her neighbors to the east, with Sister Deborah singing Nigerian Jollof “tastes funny,” and claiming, similar to Kelis’ milkshakes, that her Jollof brings all the boys to the yard.

Jollof rice had another international moment when Mark Zuckerberg visited Nigeria, and declared that the country’s version of the dish to be “awesome.” The moment of external validation was a sweet moment for the West African country, where that same year Nigerians called for the resignation of the country’s information minister, Lai Mohammed, after he accidentally said Senegal’s version of the dish was superior in a live interview with CNN.

Over the past few years, the online smack talk has turned into major pan-African festivals, with Jollof-themed competitions popping up in major cities including, London, Washington DC,  and New York.

Jollof rice
Jollof rice
Image: AP Photo/Matthew Mead

“Our own is better”

Now that we have the regional differences understood, the million-dollar question still remains to be unanswered.

Who has the best Jollof?

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