Chorney-Booth: Local author celebrates West African jollof rice in new children’s book

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One of the greatest joys of eating comes with the way certain dishes have not only a sensory element (a.k.a. deliciousness) but also a deep cultural resonance. For many Calgarians of West African heritage, that dish is jollof rice, an aromatic and often spicy rice pilaf typically made with a tomato base and a special blend of flavours. In West Africa, jollof is considered a special occasion or party dish, carefully prepared at home from scratch and brought to potlucks or holiday dinners.

Of course, no two jollof rice recipes are the same even within the same city or neighbourhood, but if one cook is from Nigeria and the other from Ghana or Senegal, the differences can be vast.

It’s with this in mind that local children’s author Yewande Daniel-Ayoade came up with the idea for her new picture book, Dele and Aminata’s Jollof War. The story follows two children, one from Nigeria and the other from Senegal, arguing about whose mother makes the best jollof, developing a friendly rivalry during a neighbourhood cooking contest. The long-grain and parboiled Nigerian rice is made with cooked-down tomatoes, onion and bell peppers, carrying a slightly smoky flavour, whereas the Senegalese version is made with broken rice and is full of chunky whole vegetables and fish.

Daniel-Ayoade, who is originally from Nigeria, started writing kids’ books to offer her own children some West African representation during story time. After self-publishing a few titles, she released her first traditionally published book, the award-winning The Little Regent in 2024. Dele and Aminata’s Jollof War, illustrated by Bri Marie McNish, was released earlier this month.

“The books came from my desire to show an aspect of my culture to my kids and also to share it with kids all over the country,” Daniel-Ayoade says.

Who makes the best jollof rice is an ongoing and typically friendly debate among the West African community in Calgary and around the world, which provided the right level of low-stakes drama for a playful children’s book. Daniel-Ayoade says that West Africans have always had conversations about jollof rice, but the “jollof wars” really took off on Twitter during the pandemic. Debating the most important attributes of a culturally significant dish has been a point of pride for many West African Canadians.

“It’s one of those recipes that has not, to a large extent, been influenced by Western culture,” she says. “It’s stayed authentic. People are really protective of it.”

Daniel-Ayoade is hosting an official release party for Dele and Aminata’s Jollof War on Oct. 17 from 2 to 4 p.m. at Vivo for Healthier Generations, located at 11950 Country Village Link N.E. The event will feature a reading, an interview with the author, and jollof rice. For more information, visit ydaniel-ayoade.com

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If you’d rather get some jollof rice in a local restaurant, there are plenty of spots in Calgary that serve their own versions of the classic dish, which is commonly served with grilled or stewed meat:

Flavours Cuisine and Catering
Daniel-Ayoade is a big fan of Flavours, which recently relocated to the old Silver Inn space in Tuxedo Park. It serves a picture-perfect jollof rice, which can be combined with other rice choices on a platter, as well as classics like suya (thinly sliced grilled beef in a special peanut rub), several traditional soups and bold African-style proteins.

2702 Centre St. N., flavourcuisineandcatering.com

Ahinke’s Restaurant
Ahinke has won praise from both Nigerian Canadians and those outside the West African community through chef Kunbi Olalere’s unique brunch menu, which combines Western breakfast items with African flavours. She also makes a variety of traditional Nigerian favourites, including jollof rice served with chicken and plantains. In true fusion style, Olalere also serves jollof rice as arancini balls, stuffed with mozzarella, with a side of spicy aioli.

#6, 2650 36 St. S.E., ahinkesrestaurant.com

Roots and Peppers
A relative newcomer to Calgary’s collection of Nigerian restaurants, Roots and Peppers opened a little over a year ago on Centre Street. Chef Ebi Okosodo’s long-grain jollof rice comes with a choice of chicken, beef or fish, but customers are encouraged to upgrade to goat or turkey for a truly celebratory dish. The restaurant also offers catering and regularly holds social and community events.

1224 Centre St. N., rootsandpeppers.com

Maame K’s Kitchen
Compared to Nigerian food, Ghanaian cuisine is much harder to find in Calgary, but there are some entrepreneurs making Ghana-style dishes for takeout. Maame K’s is a delivery/pick-up operation dishing up authentic Ghanaian soups, stews, fufu, banku and, of course, jollof rice. The jollof is only available on Saturdays. Maame K’s also carries meal prep packages for a week full of fresh Ghanaian meals and offers a “chop bar” communal experience, bringing together the local community over food.

maamekskitchen.ca

Elizabeth Chorney-Booth can be reached at elizabooth@gmail.com. Follow her on Instagram at @elizabooth or sign up for her newsletter at hungrycalgary.substack.com.