In brief
Hilda Baci, a renowned Nigerian chef and former record holder, has set out to make the world's largest pot of jollof rice in Lagos. Using 4,000 kg of rice and a custom-made 23,000-litre pot, the cooking event attracted thousands, further highlighting the cultural significance of jollof rice in West Africa. Baci's ambition reflects Nigeria's culinary identity and the efforts to earn Guinness World Record validation for this monumental dish.
Nigerian chef and former Guinness World Record holder, Hilda Baci, has attempted to make the world's largest pot of jollof rice, a popular West African dish.
Thousands of people gathered in Lagos to watch the food influencer's latest world record bid, after once holding the 2023 title for the longest cooking marathon - an exhausting 93 hours and 11 minutes - nearly four days.
Her gigantic jollof rice recipe included 4,000kg (8,800 lb) of rice, 500 cartons of tomato paste and 600kg of onions - all poured into a custom-made pot of almost 23,000 litres.
The dish took several hours to cook and now must be validated by the Guinness World Record with photo and video evidence of the achievement.
Baci, 28, told BBC Pidgin that it took her one year to plan how she would tackle the mammoth challenge.
We 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.
Manufacturing the giant steel vessel to hold her dish took a culinary team of 300 people two months to make.
Working with a group of assistants wielding massive wooden spatulas, Baci's crowning dish was later distributed for everyone to enjoy.
Jollof rice is a staple of Nigerian cuisine, featuring rice simmered in a tomato based sauce, often paired with meat or seafood.
Hilda Baci won a competition for her version of jollof rice in 2021, and then became a national sensation in 2023 when she claimed the cooking marathon record.
