Nigerian chef Hilda Baci has made history again after setting a Guinness World Record with the largest serving of Nigerian-style jollof rice in Lagos.
Guinness World Records confirmed the achievement in a post on X on Monday, writing: “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 🇳🇬.”
The record-breaking event took place on Friday, September 12, on Victoria Island, where Hilda partnered with food brand Gino Nigeria to cook the giant dish. Thousands of people gathered to watch the effort, with live performers entertaining the crowd as the massive pot simmered.
To meet Guinness rules, Hilda and her team carefully measured every ingredient. She revealed that the recipe included 4,000 kg of washed basmati rice, 164 kg of fresh goat meat, 220 kg of Gino Asun & peppered chicken cubes, and 600 kg of her pepper mix. Cooking lasted nine hours and required 1,200 kg of gas before producing 16,600 plates of food, which were shared with attendees under strict conditions to avoid waste.
Speaking after the attempt, Hilda admitted the challenge was tougher than expected. “I didn’t realize 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,” she said.
The crowd, who had waited eagerly while the aroma filled the venue, cheered loudly with chants of “Hilda, we want jollof” before finally tasting the historic meal. Videos on Hilda’s Instagram showed plates being handed out to excited supporters, many praising the taste of the record-breaking rice.
Jollof rice has long fueled a friendly rivalry between Nigeria and Ghana, and Hilda said the feat was not just about the record but also about putting Nigeria firmly at the center of that debate.
Interestingly, Guinness noted that while there is a category for the largest serving of Ghanaian jollof rice, it currently has no record holder.
Hilda, whose real name is Hilda Bassey, first rose to global fame in May 2023 when she broke the record for the longest cooking marathon by an individual with 93 hours 11 minutes in Lekki, Lagos. That attempt went viral and briefly crashed the Guinness website as fans rushed to confirm the result. Although her marathon record has since been broken twice, her latest achievement strengthens her place as one of Africa’s most celebrated chefs.
