Chef Hilda Baci has set a new Guinness World Record for the largest serving of Nigerian-style jollof rice, weighing 8,780 kilogrammes.
The record was achieved in partnership with Gino in Victoria Island, Lagos, and has been officially confirmed.
Announcing the feat on Monday on X, the post read,”New record: Largest serving of Nigerian style jollof rice – 8,780 kg (19,356 lb 9 oz) achieved by Hilda Baci and Gino in Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria.”
Guinness World Records had earlier sent words of encouragement to Nigerian celebrity chef, Hilda Baci, as she attempts to cook the world’s largest serving of Nigerian-style Jollof rice.
The record body reacted by reposting a video from the Friday event on X ( Formerly Twitter), writing, ”What’s cookin’?
“Best of luck to @hildabacicooks
who’s attempting a new record for the largest serving of Nigerian-style jollof rice today.”
Baci, who rose to international fame in 2023 after breaking the Guinness World Record for the longest cooking marathon by an individual, kicked off her latest challenge at the Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos.
The attempt drew a large crowd of supporters, celebrities, and food lovers who gathered at the venue to witness the spectacle.
According to the chef before the event, the specially designed pot being used for the challenge has a capacity of 22,619 litres, and her goal is to fill it up to 80 per cent.
She explained that this would require about 5,278 kilogrammes of raw basmati rice, equivalent to 264 bags, though she said she rounded it up to 250 bags as part of her strategy.
She later revealed to newsmen on Friday that she used 200 bags of rice, because the measuring crane and scale designed to weigh the final dish had a limit of 20,000 kilogrammes, including the weight of the custom-made pot.
“If you notice when we started we weighed the pot and we need to weigh every single thing that goes into the pot when we’re done.
“The goal was that by the time I was done making 5,000 kilogrammes I was hoping to achieve about 17,000 to 18,000 kilogrammes. Right now, if I include the weight of the pot, that’s about 20,000,” Hilda said.
The event took on a carnival-like atmosphere, with music, dancing, and appearances from well-known personalities, including Nollywood actress Funke Akindele, who mounted the stage to hail Baci’s resilience before joining her at the cooking spot to stir the tomato base for the rice.
The First Lady of Ogun State, Bamidele Abiodun, was also present to lend her support.
Other celebrities spotted at the venue include dancer Kaffy, Tomike Adeoye, Enioluwa, Peller, Veekee James, Femi Atere, Samuel Banks, Alex Unusual, Folagbade Banks, and Spyro, among others.
Hilda’s cook-a-thon marathon in 2023, where she cooked for over 93 hours, turned her into a national icon and earned her global recognition.
The feat also inspired a wave of young Nigerians, particularly women, to explore the culinary space.
Credit: The Punch
