26/04/2024
A must read 👇👇
Using Nigerian-made tomato paste to cook your jollof rice for 'redness' purposes is one of the greatest health mistakes you can make as a health conscious Nigerian.
This photo below shows the natural colour of nutritious and healthy Jollof rice made with ONLY fresh tomatoes, turmeric, coriander and pepper.
I even added curry powder for variety.
No matter how many baskets of fresh tomatoes you blend into your jollof rice, it can NEVER get redder than this under natural conditions.
It DOESN'T NEED TO!
In Nigeria unfortunately, there seems to be an increasing demand and clamour for unrealistically 'red' jollof rice.
A colour that has grown to be popularly accepted as 'jollof red'.
The fact that our tomato paste companies aren't helping matters either makes it even more worrisome.
A vast majority of tomato paste brands sold in our cities today contain only less than 24% of tomato concentrate.
The remaining 76% are sweetened corn starch, flour and artificial coloring/dyes made from petroleum base.
This is what gives your party jollof rice that aesthetically pleasing red hue.
In the US, food standard regulation bodies ensure that ONLY natural food colouring like Beets(Pink to Magenta) from beetroots, Blackberries(purple), Blueberries(Light Blue), Cherries(Pink to Red), Red Cabbage(Blue), Spinach or Kale(Green), Turmeric(Yellow to Orange) are used.
This isn't the case in Nigeria as the relevant Food standard regulatory bodies in our clime exist only on paper and do not scrutinize or insist on the quality of what is used in manufacturing the tomato paste sold to customers.
Which is quite ironic because the United States has been known for years to be the headquarters of processed food in the world and not Nigeria.
Don't you even wonder over the difference in taste between the tinned or satchet tomato paste you sample against your tongue and the blended fresh tomatoes you store in a cup in your freezer for one month?
Why should they taste COMPLETELY differently when they are supposed to be both blended tomato paste?
You already know why!
Realize this and realize peace.
I won't scare you with the myriad of long term health effects that eating food enhanced with artificial coloring and alien chemicals bring.
Just understand today that healthy food isn't aesthetics.
Even if you turn natural beetroot, turmeric and black currant powder into your rice, it shouldn't be as reddish as the jollof rice we see in our parties because heat usually weakens the colour binding in natural, plant and fruit bases.
This should tell you that whatever coloured the food to give it that appearance you love isn't supposed to be consumed by living things.
Normalize flavouring your rice with fresh tomatoes, Pepper and Tatasi.
If you want extra redness, you can add turmeric powder or beets powder.
Your jollof rice will still taste fantastic and you won't be dealing with abnormal growths in your body 7 years down the line.
