Baobab: How Jollof Rice and Biryani are building a new Sri Lankan-West African fusion lifestyle brand 

Zaynab Zubair, or Zee, grew up in the foothills of Kandy in Sri Lanka, which prepared her for life in Devon, by way of Bahrain and Australia.

This global childhood has left its mark on Zee's life and its found its way into her relationship, her family, the book she's writing, and Baobab, the brand she's launching with her Gambian husband.

I talked to Zee about her soon-to-be-published novel, Finding Serendipity, which was started during lockdown. The novel began to take shape once Zee had met her husband. The Sri Lankan and West African voice is an integral part of the novel, and we view this through the eyes of the main protagonists.

Zee used food, in particular, jollof rice and biryani, to help her characters explore their culture and identity as people growing up far from their homeland. This draws from Zee’s own life experiences. The fusion of West African and Sri Lankan cultures and identities continues to leave its mark on Z's life.

We talk about Zee's dual heritage relationship and family, and how, by fusing their cultures, Zee and her husband launched Baobab, which expresses Sri Lankan and West African culture through food, fashion, events, and wellness. 

Because I recorded this episode in the evening, and even though I told everyone to be quiet, my son gets a little overexcited during his PlayStation gaming session - apologies for that! 

Go grab your cuppa, and settle in as I chat to Zee.

00:00 Welcome and Introduction

00:47 Childhood and Cultural Identity

05:26 Writing 'Finding Serendipity'

08:18 Food and Cultural Fusion

11:46 Sri Lankan Literature Recommendations

16:52 Pilgrimage to The Gambia and Sri Lanka

21:52 Exploring the Ga Literary Festival

24:03 The Fusion Brand: Boabab

24:28 The Mission of Boabab

28:11 The Supper Club Experience

30:14 Perfect Dinner Party Menu

33:51 Favourite Sri Lankan and West African Restaurants and Future Plans

Finding Serendipity

Baobab 

Diet Paratha 

Usha Jey

Zee’s restaurant picks

Sri Lankan restaurants

Kolamba

Rambutan 

Machan Kitchen

West African Restaurants 

Monica’s Restaurant, Deptford

Papa L’s Kitchen

Zee’s guide to getting started with Sri Lankan literature 

Ameena Hussein 

Ashok Ferry 

Carl Muller 

Nayomi Munaweera

Saraid de Silva

Shehan Karunatilaka

Shyam Selvadurai

Sonali Deraniyagala 

V. V. Ganeshananthan 

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