Finding delicious common ground in the jollof rice ‘wars’

One of the iconic dishes of West Africa, jollof rice is vibrantly colored and heavily spiced. And it reflects how cultures across continents blend with delicious results.

It began in the ancient Wolof Empire, the first society in Africa to establish trade with European powers in the 1400s. New World ingredients — tomatoes, bell peppers and chilies — were combined with native spices like grains of selim and rice. Later, the Portuguese would bring curry spices from India.

Now the dish is at the center of family meals and most celebrations, and countries from Nigeria to Ghana to Senegal claim to be winning the “Jollof Wars.” It’s also a delicious one-pot meal that was perfect for our book “Milk Street Tuesday Nights,” which limits recipes to 45 minutes or less.

With up to 20 possible ingredients and countless variations, we focused on common denominators to pare down the list to