Why African food no dey get enough global recognition

One Zambian chef don tell BBC Africa Daily podcast say im no dey take international lists wey dey rank di best food for di world serious.

Dis dey come afta Taste Atlas publish dia 2022 list of di best 95 cuisines for di world.

Taste Atlas describe diasef as “world atlas of traditional dishes, local ingredients and authentic restaurants.

Only three African kontris make am to di top 50, including Algeria, South Africa and Tunisia.

Details of di world food ranking 2022

Taste Atlas tok say ranking dey based on audience votes for ingredients, dishes and beverages.

Italy, Greece, Spain, Japan and India dey among di top five kontris for di list.

But some pipo question di order of di list and why be say na few African kontris make am to di top 50.

“Dose lists dey based on tourists,” Na Lillian Elidah yarn dis one. She be Zambian chef and di owner of Twaala, one restaurant for di capital Lusaka.

Di kontris for di top of di list be “like top 10 tourists destinations for Europeans" so "obviously dem go choose dem", she tok.

Ms Elidah tok say Zambian chefs need to work on how dem dey present dia food and showcase many different food.

But na tough task to make Zambians embrace dia authentic cuisine, she tok.

"Most of our ingredients and dishes don lost dia true identity and meaning sake of say most pipo don associate am wit poverty so dem get trauma of food poverty and dem no wan eat am.”

She tok say she no believe pipo gazz physically visit Zambia to enjoy dia food.

"Dem suppose dey intrigued by di food and how we promote am. Dis dey start by having shows, having information and now wit di help of social media, e suppose dey easy.”

Di tourism boards across di world should gazz dey do more to promote African food, she tok.

"Training our cooks and chefs" go also help to bring African food to global stage, she tok.

Jollof rice, queen of West African kitchen

Jollof rice na di undisputed queen of West African kitchen.

Up till dis moment, West African kontris neva agree among diasef which kontri make di best jollof rice and di debate no dey eva end.

Dem dey serve jollof rice for house, engagement parties and weddings, burial ceremony and oda occasions .

Today, evri West African kontri get at least one variation of jollof wey dey divide and also unite di region.

Di main kontris wey dey ginger for di debate about who make di best jollof rice na Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone and Cameroon.

Origin of jollof rice

We fit trace di origin of jollof to di 1300s for di ancient Wolof Empire (wey pipo sabi as di Jolof Empire), wey include parts of today Senegal, The Gambia and Mauritania.

Rice farming flourish for dis region and jollof begin life as dish wey dem call thieboudienne.

Dem dey prepare am wit rice, fish, shellfish and vegetables.

As di empire grow, di Wolof pipo disperse across di region and settle for different parts of West Africa and dem carri dia sweet rice dish wit dem.