Huge pot of Nigerian jollof rice sets Guinness record

Nigerian chef Hilda Baci (C) and staff members stir rice in a giant pot during an attempt to break the world record for the largest pot of Jollof rice, led by Nigerian chef Hilda Baci in Lagos, on September 12, 2025.[AFP]

Guinness World Records on Monday gave official recognition to Nigerian chef Hilda Baci in recognising her rice jollof, concocted in Lagos last Friday, as the world's largest ever.

Baci hailed the feat on X, where Guinness likewise confirmed "the largest serving of Nigerian style jollof rice -- 8,780 kg" or 19,356 pounds and nine ounces.

"We have done it again," Baci said in reference to an earlier record, set in 2023, when she set a mark for marathon cooking with a stint of 93 hours, 11 minutes, which was later surpassed by Irish chef Alan Fisher.

The accolade was an early birthday present for Baci, who turns 30 this weekend, as her hours-long effort, cooked in a pot six metres (20 feet) wide, came to fruition after she had poured in around five tonnes of basmati rice, 600 kilos of onion and 750 kilos of cooking oil, marinated in tomato sauce, as some 8,000 people cheered her on.

The popular west African dish features rice simmered in a tomato sauce, accompanied by meat or fish -- though there exist various versions across the continent.

Jollof rice has its roots in the ancient Wolof empire, which stretched from what is today Senegal to Mauritania and Gambia.

In the 14th century, the region was renowned for its rice cultivation, and people would prepare a dish made with rice, fish, seafood and vegetables, known as thiebou dieune.

With the migration of the Wolof people across west Africa, the culinary tradition spread.

Today there is a jollof rivalry, particularly between Nigeria and Ghana, which both claim they have the best recipe, though in 2021 it was a Senegalese variant that earned a place on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage List.