LOL! Gambia has been adjudged the winner of the Jollof Rice Competition
organised by the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) as part of activities
marking the Jollof Festival at the weekend.
The competition, which featured Ghana, Gambia, Nigeria and Senegal,
formed part of the “See Ghana, Eat Ghana, Wear Ghana, and Feel
Ghana”campaign being championed by the GTA, under the auspices of the
Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts to promote local tourism
on a global scale.
Gambia prepared the jollof rice without
tomatoes but with mustard, fish and other ingredients, making their
jollof yellowish-white as compared to Ghana, who used tilapia, tomatoes
and other ingredients to make their jollof attractive and tasty, giving
it a reddish colour.
The Nigerian and Senegalese chefs used
ingredients they believed could make their jollof super and delicious
but, unfortunately, they could not win.
the judges, who were drawn
from Mexico and the Netherlands, said the judgment was based on
criteria including presentation, aroma, and taste.
Mr Jan van der
Veer, the lead Judge, told the GNA that the Gambians had “a fine
presentation and a better taste for their jollof as compared to that of
Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal.”