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 – 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 said.
On a stage near the large pot, Baci’s friends, including influencer Enioluwa Adeoluwa and actor 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 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.
– Agence France-Presse
