The ingredients and methods for making the two dishes have been the subject of controversy. There is the famous jollof war, which moves from banter to actual cooking competitions.
Many people are made to choose their Jollof champion since the taste and presentation of both versions are very different, despite some similarities.
What makes them so different from each other?
1. While the Nigerian version uses long-grain rice, the Ghanaian version often uses basmati or Thai jasmine rice, and this means that there will be a big difference in taste and smell.
2. Ground fresh tomato, tomato paste, stock, curry powder, thyme, white pepper, and bay leaves are the key ingredients used in Nigerian jollof rice. To increase the taste of the Ghanaian jollof, in contrast to the tangy flavour of the tomato sauce, sugar or honey is sometimes added to the Ghanaian version of the dish.
3. Nigerians believe that rice should be slightly burned. It is usually called party jollof and has a distinct smoky flavour. The taste is mostly acquired because it is made over firewood at parties like birthdays and funerals. Ghanaian jollof, even at parties, is less smoky.
4. Ghanaian jollof contains more spices than Nigerian jollof. In Ghana, ginger and garlic are blended. They also add a mix of vegetables, nutmeg, rosemary, and anise. Additionally, while Nigerians love pepper, Ghanaians enjoy tomatoes in all of their forms; hence, Ghanaian jollof has a stronger tomato flavour than peppers.
5. The sides are also a bit different. Nigerian jollof has more sides. While Ghanaian jollof rice comes with shito toppings, fried plantains, meat, or fish as sides, Nigerian jollof rice is served with meat, fried plantains, Nigerian salad, coleslaw, and moimoi.
It's interesting to note that they have both taken a leaf from each other recipes as it's not surprising to find Nigerian jollof tasting like Ghanaian jollof.