Renowned Nigerian chef Hilda Effiong Bassey, widely known as Hilda Baci, has recalled the tense moment when the custom-made pot used for her Guinness World Record attempt for the largest pot of jollof rice unexpectedly collapsed.
Speaking in a video shared on Tuesday, Baci admitted the incident almost overwhelmed her. “When we had the mishap with the pot, my first few seconds, my heart was in my hands. I was very scared, very worried,” she said.
The event took place on September 12 at the World Jollof Festival in Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos, where Baci and her team prepared about 8,780 kilograms of jollof rice in a pot designed to hold 23,000 litres. The pot, measuring six metres in width and height, buckled as a crane lifted it for weighing, though the food remained intact.
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Baci explained that her focus at the time was ensuring food was shared rather than securing the record. “For me, the record was not the most important thing. It was important that people got to taste and enjoy the food,” she said, adding that the collapse ultimately made distribution easier.
She revealed that transparency was key to validating the attempt. Her team quickly submitted video and photographic evidence of the weighing process, which Guinness World Records later accepted, confirming her as the record-holder.
Reflecting on the achievement, Baci described herself as a “child of grace,” noting this second Guinness title follows her 2023 record for the longest cooking marathon by an individual, when she cooked for 93 hours and 11 minutes.
