I’m a dab hand at Jollof – she laughs in red and spice. Well, I’ve finally gotten things down to at least consistent, delicious results. That’s with long grain rice though, not basmati. Learning to make basmati Jollof has been a lifelong dream, from the days of Holland when @olayide_williams and I would order stunning basmati Jollof from […]
Because beniseed [sesame] seeds have their DNA and birthplace in Africa. In this post, I use beniseed, benne and sesame seed interchangeably – forgive me. Sesame seeds are the seeds of the tropical annual Sesamum indicum. The species has a long history of cultivation – first for its rich oil but also for wine! The English […]
I’ve almost always used the dried version and so haven’t had the opportunity, till recently to truly get a whiff of the buttery, caramel, chocolate notes the aidan pod has trapped within it. A winged pod, with 2 hard, inedible and 2 soft, edible wings, it is a core ingredient in my mother’s pepper soup. […]
For years, I’ve called it banga stick or oburunbebe, as learned from the interwebs. All attempts to find the botanical name drawing blanks. But researchers stay researching – once one, always and forever one. Some skills to being a good researcher are: Observation: when you notice the details, differentiators, differences, you can ask the right […]
From market to web page, it seems – despite their size and appearance differences – that umilo and gbafilo might be related, after all. Proof that sameness is beyond appearance. In my search for the botanical name for umilo, I happened upon an article referring to umilo by Parinari excelsa, the botanical name which I ‘knew’ […]
…still searching. And still, when in doubt, observe. When you don’t know the what or why or how, focus on what you can see, hear, smell, touch, feel, taste, focus on observing. I know one name of this peppersoup spice, from the market – it is umilo/ emilo/ omilo/ amilo in Itsekiri. Google searches have […]
I am an explorer. The thrill of discovery is blood to my bones such that rifling – if you can call electonically paging through pdfs that – through documents about the organoplectic nature of xyz are adventure hunts for me. One of the things that I’m really concerned about, giving voice to is the names. […]
It deserves ALL the accolades. It includes my thoughts and voxpop, real views from real people on the Nigerian street. For bringing us to the table and kitchen, giving West African countries something to fight about 🙂 and something to unite over cc: #Jollofgate What do you think?
Jollof Wars. A compound phrase made up of two words: Jollof of a red, spiced rice dish loved in every city and town ‘South of the Sahara’ and along the coast of West Africa. Synonyms: Djolof, Benachim (Gambia); Thiéboudienne (Senegal) Wars a state of competition or hostility between different people or groups. “she was at war with her parents” Characteristics The […]
