Nigeria’s former Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, has stirred fresh controversy after stating that the popular West African dish jollof rice originated in Senegal among the Wolof people, and was once prepared as a simple meal for prisoners, Peak Newspaper reports
Speaking during an interview with a local Nigerian television station, Mohammed said the word “jollof” is derived from the Wolof ethnic group, a claim that aligns with widely accepted historical accounts tracing the dish to the ancient Wolof Empire, which spanned parts of present-day Senegal and The Gambia.
However, historians and food scholars have pushed back against part of his claim, stressing that there is no credible historical evidence to support the assertion that jollof rice was originally made as prisoner food. Experts maintain that while Senegal — particularly its version known as thieboudienne — is broadly regarded as the birthplace of jollof, the “prison meal” narrative lacks factual backing.
The comments have reignited long-standing debates across West Africa, especially the playful but intense rivalry between Nigeria and Ghana over which country makes the best jollof rice — a cultural argument that continues to dominate social media, festivals, and food events.
Despite scholarly consensus on Senegal as the dish’s origin, the question of whose jollof reigns supreme remains as fiercely contested as ever.
