Guinness World Records confirms Nigerian chef Baci’s feat for largest jollof rice dish

*The Guinness World Records affirms the achievement of Nigerian chef Hilda Baci, who recently broke the world record for cooking the largest ever pot of jollof rice in Lagos

Alexander Davis | ConsumerConnect

Nigerian chef Hilda Baci, last week, broke the world record for cooking the largest ever pot of jollof rice, in Lagos, Nigeria.

Guinness World Records (GWR) confirmed the achievement on social media platform.

The GWR disclosed Ms. Baci’s concoction of Jollof Rice, a popular West African dish, weighed in at a staggering 8,780kg.

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It was gathered that after nine hours of cooking, the spirited effort invested in the project was almost thrown into jeopardy after the Gino-branded giant pot used to make the dish broke as it was being hoisted onto a crane to be weighed.

However, none of the ready-to-served Jollof rice was spilled in the process, according to report.

ConsumerConnect reports Jollof rice is a staple in several West African countries, which features rice simmered in a tomato sauce, often paired with meat or seafood.

Ms. Baci, celebrating the triumph, thanked her team and supporters.

She asserted: “This moment isn’t just mine…. it belongs to all of us.”

Despite the massive pot buckling twice during its weigh-in, a member of Baci’s team told the BBC at the event that they were collecting evidence from different cameras to send to GWR, so it could be officially recognised.

Baci: ‘We made history together’ for humanity

Speaking on her experience on the project, Baci paid tribute to the “tireless team” that made the achievement possible, and shared a video of her reacting to the news on social media.

She stated: “This Guinness World Record was built on unity, love, and collective strength.

“We made history together, for Nigeria, for Africa, and for everyone who believes in the power of food to bring us closer this win is yours too.”

Baci’s recipe for the crowning jollof dish included 4,000kg of rice, 500 cartons of tomato paste, 600kg of onions and 168kg of goat meat – all poured into a custom-made pot that can hold 23,000 litres.

Thousands of people had gathered to watch Baci’s latest world record bid – in 2023, she held the title for the longest cooking marathon at nearly four days.

Their support was well rewarded as the mammoth dish later divided into individual portions and distributed to the huge crowd and passersby.

Earlier, the Nigerian global chef had told BBC Pidgin, that it took her a year to plan how she would tackle the mammoth challenge of cooking with the biggest pot ever.

She had noted: “We [Nigerians] are the giant of Africa, and jollof is a food that everybody knows Africans for.

“It would make sense if we had the biggest pot of jollof rice, it would be nice for the country.”

About 10 other chefs in red uniforms assisted her in wielding long wooden spoons to stir the food.

Manufacturing the giant steel cooking vessel to hold her dish took a team of 300 people two months to make, but one of its legs gave way at the crucial time in the thick of cooking Jollof rice in Lagos.

Baci won a competition for her version of jollof rice in 2021, and then became a national sensation in 2023 when she claimed the world cooking marathon record – an exhausting 93 hours and 11 minutes.

However, she was later surpassed by Irish chef Alan Fisher.

The current record-holder is Evette Quoibia from Australia, with 140 hours and 11 minutes, according to GWR.