Guinness World Records (GWR) has confirmed that Nigerian chef Hilda Effiong Bassey, known as Hilda Baci, has set a new record for cooking the largest pot of Nigerian jollof rice.

Ms Bassey turned up the heat last Friday at Victoria Island, Lagos, serving up 8,780 kilogrammes of Jollof rice.

“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,” a post on Guinness World Records’ (GWR) X handle read on Monday. 
GWR quoted Ms Bassey as saying, “It took nine hours of fire, passion and teamwork,” adding that 1,200 kg of gas was required to prepare the 16,600 plates of rice, all of which were distributed in line with Guinness rules that prohibit waste.

Thousands of people were present to cheer her on, with music performances and various vendors, eagerly waiting to see the end.

Ms Bassey said of her attempt: “I didn’t realise it would be this hard and it has been a challenge. It’s a lot of hard work but really satisfying to achieve the record.

“This achievement also belongs to the people of Nigeria as they all contributed to the achievement.”

Ms Bassey first became a household name in 2023 when she set the record for the longest cooking marathon.