The Joy of Communal Cooking
Ever tasted Nigerian party jollof rice? No? I'll tell you something about it in a bit.
In Nigeria, despite the lingering inflation and high cost of living that seems to get higher and costlier everyday (I was beyond shocked when I went to the market this morning), Saturdays are days we look forward to with expectations. Reason being it's a convenient time for lovebirds to tie the marital knot and host their guests.
I'll look at this topic from the point of view of a guest. As a guest, you may not really be interested in the affairs of the couple. What would matter more is how good the "Item 7" would be. Item 7 is a word we coined for foods and drinks at occasions.
For the women folk, we love to come together and do what we call communal cooking. Actually, my mom participates in this communal cooking at almost every occasion she attends. This only happens if the couple does not hire a caterer to do the cooking.
The women would come together in a meeting, decide those who would go shopping for all the ingredients needed and soon as they return, it's all hands on deck.
I attended a wedding a while back in Okene, Kogi state where these photos were taken. After dressing up for the church service, I strolled through the bride's house and then my nose perceived this sweet aroma of party jollof rice. I followed the aroma, lol, and saw these women behind the house, cooking special delicacies for the wedding guests.
You could see the joy on their faces as they cooked together. They shared interesting stories to make themselves laugh while cooking.
Usually, guests look forward to party jollof rice in almost all our parties. Have you heard that Nigerians make the best jollof rice in the world? LOL. I'd always wondered how this statement came to be or how true it is but there is an ongoing battle between Nigerian jollof rice and Ghanaian jollof rice.
I can't really say much about Ghanaian jollof rice because I have never tasted it but I know ours tastes good, especially when it's cooked communally. Seeing these women, their happy faces and joy they derive in cooking for a large number of people makes me appreciate their commitment not only to keep the couples happy and make sure their day is a success, but also to keep the guests satisfied.
Enjoying your weekend? How are the wedding delicacies in your country prepared?
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It's so nice to see these ladies cooking and sharing the joy.
We do something similar but not exactly the same. People would hire a caterer but the neighborhood would come to give a helping hand. People would help copping the vegetables and and help with other stuff.
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Ah, neighbors coming to give a helping hand? That makes it communal and interesting.
Thanks for stopping by and for the LUV. 🙂
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😃 That meal is so tempting and attractive that I couldn't help but find out what the joy of communal cooking is.
From all you've said, I think I have seen women with those expressions when cooking for a party.
I also think Nigerian Jollof is more delicious than Ghanaian Jollof even though I haven't tasted it too 😏😂
Well done with this post ma'am, I wish I could make posts like this soon 🙈😌
Hehehe, of course you can make posts like this. You could write on topics emphasizing some of our culture and make a little comparison with other cultures. Then post in Hive crossculture community.
Thanks dear for taking the time to read through. No, let Ghanaians catch you o 😅🚶♀️🚶♀️
Hiring a caterer to handle item 7 is one of the new culture that is being adopted in Nigeria. Initially, cooking use to be the main job of some committee of friends upon the request of celebrants.
Watching as these ladies do their thing is a full package of entertainment on its own. They start a night before the occasion to do their thing. They sing, gossip, drink, eat, work and even pick on eachother.
My guess is, the smile on the face adds extra something something to the tastiness of our Naija Jollof 😝.
Daal
Caterers are now taking over the scene but we still have those who rely on groups of women to handle the item 7.
You know them so well! Are you sure you did not participate in this activity at some point in time? 😏😅😅
No, i never tasted Nigerian party jollof rice, but thank you for sharing the story behind!:)
Never? It's the best jollof rice. 😄
Thank you for your kind comment.
Oh, then i really have to try it:)
Woo eso debió saber muy rico, porque se ve divino, que bonito gracias por compartir un abrazo
Gracias. El arroz Jollof sabe bien y disfrutamos cocinarlo juntos. Saludos. 🙂
Hello @kemmyb I love rice, and it looks delicious. I can see it's actually a community that comes together to help celebrate an occasion.
Thanks for sharing.
Hehehe, that's how we roll sometimes in my country but the culture is gradually fading as people would rather hire caterers to take care of the food and serve guests.
Thank you for your kind comment. 🙂
OMG...that's the same here, but we've been doing it for ages. You rarely go to a function where the family prepared the entire spread. People are too busy deciding what to wear on the big day, lol.
se ve exquisito amigo, espero y disfruten de la fiesta de arroz jollof.
Sí, lo pasamos muy bien en la boda y el arroz jollof estaba delicioso. Gracias por tu amable comentario.
Overall best in rice - Nigerian jollof
Yeah,all I can say is that I have never tasted Ghanian jollof rice,and so I don't know how to compare it to Nigerian Jollof rice,but still Nigerian Jollof rice tastes nice.
Can I get a plate pls 🤗?
Heheh, our jollof rice tastes great! One plate coming up.... 😄
I will be expecting it 🤗🤗
It is really heartwarming to see the smiles.
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It certainly is. To take such delight in doing what one loves is the best. Thank you for your kind comment. 🙂
I love this. There are rural communities in the U. S. where everybody comes together and pitches in for a great event. Where I live now, though, people pay great amounts of money to hire a hall and have an event catered. Oftentimes a young couple will feel social pressure to do this and spend money that they could have saved to buy a house or set themselves up.
Communal cooking seems perfect to me. Your pictures are wonderful. The ladies, smiling with the happiness of helping...they are beautiful.