Google, a global leader in technology, honored jollof rice on Friday with a doodle on its homepage.
Jollof rice, a delicacy unique to West African nations, is celebrated to honor the farmers who sow and harvest the rice so that the dish may be made, claims Google. Haneefah Adam, a Nigerian content maker, and visual artist made a stop-motion animation movie demonstrating the making of Jollof rice for the doodle.
The film, which included music by Senegalese jazz musician Hervé Samb, demonstrated how to prepare the dish step-by-step and listed the components that were used.
“This is a celebration of culture—not just my background, but of everyone who recognizes food as a channel,” Adam stated when describing the dish. It’s fascinating to see how different our attitudes on food are, for example, how Jollof preparation varies between Senegal and Nigeria (they even have different names). This merely serves to highlight the beauty and richness of our continent’s overall culture.
Google also mentioned the friendly competition between Ghana and Nigeria over which nation could make the best jollof rice.
The article stated, “Ghanaians and Nigerians compete fiercely to make the best Jollof, and for good cause. The two types of cooking are very different from one another.
“For instance, Ghanaians like basmati rice whereas Nigerians choose long-grain rice, which absorbs more seasonings.” with a more aromatic flavor.
