Video: Hilda Baci speaks on cooking 200 bags of rice instead of 250

Abdullateef Fowewe

Guinness World Record holder, Hilda Baci, has clarified her choice to prepare 200 bags of rice rather than the initially intended 250 while attempting to set a new world record for the largest serving of Nigerian-style Jollof rice.

Video link: https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1EnuXy6G83/

Baci, who gained widespread recognition in 2023 after her record-setting cook-a-thon, launched her latest culinary endeavor at the Eko Hotel and Suites in Lagos, attracting a considerable audience of food enthusiasts, celebrities, and distinguished guests.

The event, which kicked off on Friday morning, quickly took on a festive atmosphere, complete with music, dancing, and appearances by notable figures such as Nollywood actress Funke Akindele, dancer Kaffy, and the First Lady of Ogun State, Bamidele Abiodun.

During an interview with reporters at the venue, Baci stated that her choice to reduce the amount of rice was based on technical reasons.

She revealed that the measuring crane and scale designed to weigh the final dish had a limit of 20,000 kilogrammes, including the weight of the custom-made pot.

She said, “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.

“The average crane and the measuring device can only weigh 20,000 kilogrammes.

“It’s safer for me to go below 20,000 kilogrammes so that my scale can carry it all at the same time and basically that is why I had to cut down on the quantity and I only cut it down by a thousand kilogrammes.”

She further revealed that the 200 bags cooked still resulted to 4,000 kilogrammes of rice, enough to feed 20,000 people.

“This 4,000 kilogrammes of rice is 200 bags of rice and it will still feed 20,000 people so we’re still up there,” she noted.

Baci described the feat as the most ambitious of her career, noting that it took almost a year of planning to pull off.

“Honestly, Gino and I figuring this whole thing out was hectic. Figuring out how to fabricate the pots, it took Mr. Ayo two months to figure out and fabricate the pots,” she added.

She added that despite the stress, the process had been rewarding, “It was challenging but very exciting at the same time.

“We’re not done because we need to distribute the food and make sure that everybody that has come here eats to their satisfaction.

“So we’re still on it but so far I’m very happy, you know, with where we are and what we’ve been able to achieve today.”

Interestingly, Baci revealed that the project was not initially conceived as a Guinness World Record attempt, but about a food experience for Nigerians.

“When I came up with this idea, I did not think about it as a world record, quite frankly,” she admitted.

Rather, she framed the feat as an opportunity to bring people together and feed as many as possible.

“I mean, have you looked around? There’s a lot of you. Some of you came with your cooler, so we need to make sure everybody’s fed.

“We’re feeding the nation,” said Baci

Guinness World Record, a London-based record body itself joined the excitement online, posting a message of encouragement with a video of the event on X ( Formerly Twitter).

It wrote,”What’s cookin’?

“Best of luck to @hildabacicooks who’s attempting a new record for the largest serving of Nigerian style jollof rice today.”