Smoky jollof rice has become the last word in food delivery circles. If you don’t believe me, check any food vendor sites on Instagram. If you don’t find one offering of smoky jollof rice on their menu, then they’re probably amateurs. Everybody is craving smoky jollof rice and their business is booming.

Yep, just smoky jollof rice. No smoky yam pottage, no smoky seafood okra soup, not a hint of smoky pasta to be seen anywhere. Firewood jollof has entire thesis papers written about it.

So, why is jollof rice the special food that must be accompanied by the taste of smoke and burnt cast iron pots?

Let’s think for a second about the origins of smoky jollof rice. Mass-produced food is usually cooked with big, banked wood or coal fires, which naturally emit smoke when burnt. The volume of food cooked also makes the likelihood of burning higher, and the overall taste is woody. 

Maybe there is something about the composition of the ingredients used in jollof rice that binds so beautifully with smoke from the fire it’s cooked with, or maybe it’s the communal effort used to cook those huge pots of rice at ceremonies, everyone pitching in with what they think makes the perfect jollof. Maybe it’s the nostalgia of eating from pans of rice with our hands with other children, the pure joy of that moment making us think that’s the standard for jollof rice. Whatever it is, the marketing was top-notch because, for some reason, we now believe smoke makes jollof rice better. There are even recipes for making smoky jollof rice on gas and stove burners. The secret? Just let it burn!

Glorified rice and stew?

So when you remove the smoke that makes it so exotic, jollof rice is just glorified white rice and stew - and I don't think stew needs jollof to make it great, it’s awesome on its own. Does that mean that maybe what we all love about this national dish is the memory, nostalgia and smoke attached to it? Maybe jollof rice is not all that after all?

Look, I know that eating jollof rice is almost a tradition in this country, and I'm probably making enemies right now. But it just has to be said - the taste of smoke is what makes jollof rice so great. So when there’s no smoke, how does it retain that OG status?

Maybe we shouldn’t be propping the entire weight of our national cuisine on a dish that can easily be so disappointing. Let’s explore other options for ceremonies and events-how about the very faithful swallow? At least we all agree on that, even if we don’t agree on the soup to accompany it. in fact, that might be a blessing since there are so many options to choose from.
Even if you don’t like swallow, how about we let stew do its thing without the pressure of turning it into jollof? Stew is so customisable and adaptable, it could easily be the dish that puts Nigeria on the map.

We have delicious food from all the regions in Nigeria, food that says who we are as a people and is authentic to our experiences and lifestyle. But no, jollof is the hill we’re all ready to die on.