Nigeria chef breaks world record for longest solo cooking

Hilda Baci, 26.

A Nigerian chef has clinched the Guinness World Record for the longest solo cooking session after a marathon 93 hours and 11 minutes cooking nonstop on her feet, the organisation confirmed.

Hilda Baci, 26, who trained at the gym to stay on her feet for the four days needed to break the record last month, had said her May 11-15 bid was meant to help "put Nigerian cuisine on the map".

"I want Nigerian recipes to be propagated across the world. You know, I want it to be a normal thing to make Egusi soup in an American home," Baci told journalists after her attempt.

"I want you to be able to walk into any random supermarket and find Nigerian ingredients."

Baci's record attempt captured the attention of her home country at a time when many Nigerians are struggling with high inflation, fuel shortages and other economic woes.

While she was cooking, several high-profile figures visited Baci, including Lagos' state governor, the country's then vice president and Nigerian Afrobeats music star Tiwa Savage.

Cooking alone

Hilda was required to abide by several rules during her record-breaking attempt, including cooking at least two items at a time, and help from a sous-chef with preparing, washing or cleaning, but the cooking had to be done by her alone.

This is not Baci's first success — she once hosted a TV cooking show and represented Nigeria to win a regional cook-off competition to make the classic West African dish of spicy jollof rice.

Hilda prepared for the event by creating a 35-item menu “as a guide” for every meal that she would cook.

Guinness World Records said in a statement: "Following a thorough review of all the evidence, Guinness World Records can now confirm that ... Hilda Baci has now officially broken the record for the longest cooking marathon [individual]."

Guinness said she broke the previous record of 87 hours, 45 minutes set by an Indian chef in 2019.

Hilda hosted the TV show Dine on a Budget in 2020.

In 2021, she won the Jollof Face-off competition after beating Ghana's Leslie Kumordzie.

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Source: TRT