Hilda Baci: Nigerian chef breaks world record for largest jollof rice dish

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

Guinness World Records (GWR) confirmed the achievement on social media, saying Ms Baci’s concoction of the popular West African dish weighed in at a staggering 8,780kg.

After nine hours of cooking, the effort was almost thrown into jeopardy after the giant pot used to make the dish broke as it was being hoisted onto a crane to be weighed – thankfully, none of the rice was spilled.

Ms Baci celebrated the triumph by thanking her team and supporters: “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 last week they were collecting evidence from different cameras to send to GWR so it could be officially recognised.

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.

“This Guinness World Record was built on unity, love, and collective strength,” she wrote.

“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.

Last week, 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.

The chef previously told BBC Pidgin that it took her a year to plan how she would tackle the mammoth challenge.

“We [Nigerians] are the giant of Africa, and jollof is a food that everybody knows Africans for,” she said.

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

She was assisted by 10 other chefs in red uniforms wielding long wooden spoons to stir the food.

Manufacturing the giant steel 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.

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

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.