The much talked about “Jollof Rice” war in the West African region was settled in spectacular fashion when The Gambia, against all odds, beat Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal and Liberia to the first position at the West Africa Food Festival (WAFFEST) held in Lagos, Nigeria.
The Gambian team of cooks led by international award-winning chef, Saikou Bojang, trounced all renowned chefs from the sub-region with their indigenous recipes, artistic food displays, and preserved West African flavours in a way that gave them the trophy, while also relegating giants Nigeria and Ghana to the background, with Liberia taking the second spot.
The Gambian newspaper, The Point, which captured the epoch-making event, described it as an “incredible achievement which came in honour of Jollof Rice, a divinely loved platter whose origins can be traced back to the Senegambia region that was ruled by the Jolof, or as we know it today, the Wolof Empire in the 14th century, crawling across parts of today’s Senegal, The Gambia and Mauritania where rice is religiously grown.
“The West Africa Food Festival is a competition that has been running for over five years, usually housing about 16 countries per edition, running primarily on celebrating the flavours, sounds, and sights of West Africa, bringing together people from all corners of the geographic region through their diverse traditional cuisines,” The Point wrote.
“The Gambia, back in the 2019, event also emerged victors winning the best chef and best dessert awards. The then team led by Chef Saikou Bojang and Chef Musa Darboe was welcomed home by the Minister for Tourism and Culture in a show of gratitude.
“Such a moment still ringing with pride four years later will now stand side by side with this beautiful accomplishment of The Gambia bagging a win in both the Jollof and Vegan categories.
“A contestant from Liberia, chef Aloycious, also took to social media to express his despondence in losing to Gambia in a humble bout of words and shared that it was a great experience with a great team of chefs’”, it added.