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The national dish and most popular meal in Senegal, ceebu jën originated in the fishing communities of Saint-Louis with a cook named Penda Mbaye. The dish, whose name means “rice with fish” in Wolof, can also contain a variety of other ingredients depending on the region.

The preparer selects the vegetables and quality of fish according to the importance of the guest or event. Recipes and cooking techniques are traditionally passed down from a family’s older women to its younger ones.

According to Souleymane Jules Diop, Permanent Delegate Ambassador of Senegal to UNESCO, ceebu jën “symbolizes the place of women in our society, the role that they have always played in our society.“

The dish is considered so important that there are special rules that must be observed while eating it. For one, people must avoid sitting with a raised knee while eating it, and must not drop any grains of rice. Also, the bowl should always be held in the left hand when eating.

loc:country:republic of the congo