Original Story Published by: SBS Food, https://www.sbs.com.au/
Photo Source: Photographer/Source
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has addressed assassinations, political controversies and
polarising topics – but 'who makes the best jollof rice?' is a topic he knows is too dangerous to touch.
On Eden Hagos' Black Foodie show in August, Trudeau was asked whether he preferred the Nigerian,
Ghanaian or Senegalese version of the West African dish flavoured with spiced and tomato-stewed
grains. Different places will add their own twist, whether it's the broken jasmine rice in Senegal or the
smokiness of Nigerian party jollof.
"Now, from my backpacking around Africa when I was a kid, I learnt that jollof is actually Senegalese,
right?"; Trudeau told Hagos, the show's presenter.
It's true: the name comes from the region's Wolof tribe. He also expertly dodged the question of which
country did jollof rice best – citing the poutine wars in Quebec (over who invented the cheesy, gravy-
drizzled fries) as the reason why.
"And the intensity of that battle, which is mostly friendly – but has come to blows every now and then in
certain families – means it's something that I've learned to stay away from and I am not getting in the
mix between Ghanaians and Nigerians on the jollof," he told the show.
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