KEY POINTS

• Hilda Baci jollof record cut from 250 to 200 bags.
• Technical weight limits capped attempt at 20,000 kilograms.
• She still cooked enough to feed 20,000 people.

Celebrity chef Hilda Baci has shed light on why she scaled down her Guinness World Record attempt for the largest serving of Nigerian-style jollof rice.

Baci, who initially set out to cook 250 bags of rice, cut the figure to 200 bags after discovering technical limits with the weighing equipment.

Technical limits forced adjustment

She explained that the custom-built pot and the rice combined would have exceeded 20,000 kilograms the maximum the crane and scale could carry. “It’s safer for me to go below 20,000 kilogrammes so that my scale can carry it all at the same time,” she said.

The final tally stood at 4,000 kilograms of jollof rice, which she said was still enough to serve 20,000 people.

Hilda Baci jollof record took a year of planning

The chef described the attempt as her most ambitious project yet, requiring nearly a year of preparation. The pot fabrication alone took two months, while event planning stretched over nine months. Cooking the massive meal lasted about nine hours.

“Honestly, figuring out how to fabricate the pots was hectic,” Baci said, adding that her partnership with sponsor Gino made the feat possible.

Feeding the nation with jollof rice

Baci stressed that the project was never solely about breaking records but about community. “Some of you came with your cooler, so we need to make sure everybody’s fed. We’re feeding the nation,” she told the crowd.

The event attracted food lovers, celebrities, and dignitaries, including Nollywood actress Funke Akindele, dancer Kaffy, and Ogun State First Lady Bamidele Abiodun.