Jollof gets its colour from tomatoes and red peppers, blended together into a thick sauce and cooked down with onions and spices. The rice is then added straight into the sauce, where it soaks up every drop of flavour as it cooks. The bottom of the pot is the best part - a slightly crispy layer of rice that everyone wants a piece of.
Every household has its own jollof. Some are smoky. Some are spicier. Some have chunks of fried plantain on the side. Some are served with chicken or fish. The basic idea is always the same - rice, tomato sauce, time, love - but no two cooks make it exactly the same way.
There is a friendly argument that has lasted for years between Ghana and Nigeria about whose jollof is best. Each country thinks their version is the real one. Football fans even sing songs about it. Most West Africans will laugh and admit: both are excellent, and the only real way to decide is to eat lots of both.
Other West African countries make their own versions too - Senegal, where the dish probably first started, calls it 'thieboudienne'. Liberia, Sierra Leone, Cameroon all have their own takes. Jollof is a dish that travels easily, and changes a little wherever it goes.