Il Messaggiere - Nigerian chef aims for rice hotpot record

The popular west African dish features rice simmered in a tomato sauce, accompanied by meat or fish.

Thousands of people gathered to watch the latest record attempt by the 28-year-old chef and restaurateur, who once held the world record for the longest cooking marathon -- more than four days.

Baci said she poured 4,000 kilogrammes (8,800 pounds) of basmati rice, 500 cartons of tomato concentrate, 750 kilos of oil and 600 kilos of onions into a giant steel cauldron to produce the mammoth dish.

"It's six metres wide and six metres deep," she proudly told AFP of the cooking pot.

To validate her achievement with Guinness World Records, Baci and her team must now produce evidence of their concoction, including photos and videos.

It took several hours to make her record-seeking version of the dish. All of it was to be given away after the attempt.

Baci was aided by 10 assistants in red uniforms wielding huge wooden spoons to sift in and stir the ingredients as the crowd hailed the dish's popularity.

"Nigerians eat it all the time --i at home, at restaurants, even parties -- there's always a jollof rice," beauty retailer Bello Fatima Temitope, 31, told AFP as she helped her restaurateur friend with the outsize endeavour.

"It's easy to eat, people like the taste and its texture. Personally, I like the taste of the tomatoes," she added.

- Diversity of flavours -

On a stage near the large pot, Baci's friends, including influencer Enioluwa Adeoluwa and actress Tomike Adeoye, kept the crowd entertained with music and dance.

While jollof has a common recipe base, different countries -- often even each house -- have their own signature flavour.

In Nigeria, it is generally spicy and often accompanies grilled meat. In Ghana, it is less spicy and can contain carrots and peppers, hence its version has a more reddish hue.

Liberians often add shrimps and other seafood, whereas in Mali some communities add banana for a unique sweet-sour mix.

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.

Inhabitants 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 jollof rivalry, particularly between Nigeria and Ghana, which both claim they have the best recipe.

The dispute is often amplified on social media and at culinary competitions.

In 2021, Senegalese jollof rice was placed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage List.

E.Mancini--IM