Chef Hilda Baci has set a new Guinness World Record for the largest serving of Nigerian-style jollof rice, weighing 8,780 kilogrammes (19,356 lb 9 oz).
The record which was achieved in partnership with Gino on Friday in Victoria Island, Lagos, has been officially confirmed.
Announcing the feat on Monday on X (Formely Twitter), the Guinness World Record posted,”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”
Baci, who rose to fame with her headline-making cook-a-thon, has once again brought global attention to Nigerian cuisine.
Guinness World Records had sent words of encouragement to the Nigerian celebrity when she was attempting the cooking on Friday.
The record body in a video, said, ”What’s cookin’?
“Best of luck to @hildabacicooks who’s attempting a new record for the largest serving of Nigerian-style jollof rice today.”
The recent 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 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.
According to her, the 200 bags cooked still amounted to 4,000 kilogrammes of rice, enough to feed 20,000 people.
The event turned into 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, Tacha, Papaya, Samuel Banks, Alex Unusual, Folagbade Banks, and Spyro, among others.
