Chef Hilda Baci has secured another global milestone after Guinness World Records confirmed her achievement for the largest serving of Nigerian-style jollof rice, weighing 8,780 kilogrammes (19,356 lb 9 oz).
The outstanding feat, carried out in partnership with Gino on Victoria Island, Lagos, was officially announced on Monday via the Guinness World Records’ X (formerly Twitter) page:
“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 previously captured worldwide attention with her viral cook-a-thon, once again placed Nigerian cuisine on the global stage.
Ahead of the attempt on Friday, Guinness World Records had shared a supportive video message: “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 record-breaking event drew huge crowds, including celebrities, dignitaries, and food lovers, turning the atmosphere into a festival of music, dance, and celebration.
Nollywood star Funke Akindele joined Baci on stage to commend her resilience and even helped stir the tomato base.
The First Lady of Ogun State, Bamidele Abiodun, was also in attendance to show support.
Other famous faces at the venue included Kaffy, Tomike Adeoye, Enioluwa, Peller, Veekee James, Femi Atere, Tacha, Papaya, Samuel Banks, Alex Unusual, Folagbade Banks, and Spyro.
Speaking before the attempt, Baci explained that the custom-made pot used for the challenge had a 22,619-litre capacity, and her target was to fill it up to 80 percent.
She initially estimated needing about 5,278 kilogrammes of raw basmati rice (264 bags), later rounding down to 250 bags.
She told reporters on Friday that only 200 bags were used in the end, due to the 20,000-kilogramme weight limit of the crane and scale designed to weigh the dish and pot combined.
“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 of rice produced 4,000 kilogrammes of jollof, enough to feed 20,000 people.