Nigeria's Hilda Baci cooks for 4 days straight, breaks Guinness World Record

Why you're reading this: A Nigerian chef broke the previous Guinness record by cooking continuously for approximately 100 hours, continuing her quest to establish a new record for the longest period. Hilda Baci has been preparing meals since last Thursday to surpass the Indian chef Lata Tondon's 2019 record of 87 hours and 45 minutes for the longest cooking marathon.

To become a household name in Nigeria, Baci had to cook for more than 97 hours in the Lekki neighbourhood of Lagos, the commercial centre of West Africa. Many people there and online encouraged her to attain the 100-hour milestone. 

3 things you need to know

• Hilda Baci broke the Guinness World Record for longest cooking marathon.
• Baci cooked for a mammoth 93 hours and 11 minutes.
• Previously, the record holder was Lata Tandon from India who had cooked for 87 hours and 45 minutes.

Hilda Baci broke the Guinness World Record for longest cooking marathon (Image: Guinness World Record)

What was Baci's inspiration behind achieving the mammoth task?

Hilda's desire to attempt the record was to “put Nigerian cuisine on the map” and “inspire young African women to chase their dreams”. She added, “I also decided to break this record to truly push my limits and test my abilities."

The World Record holder had set certain terms and conditions that Hilda must follow in order to have a successful attempt. They were: 

• There must be at least two items being prepared or cooked at any time.

• A sous-chef is permitted to assist in prep work, washing up, and cleaning the kitchen area, but all the cooking must be done by the individual attempting the record

Guinness World Record in a statement said, "She ensured that she had the necessary ingredients to make each recipe, with her team procuring further food items while the cook-a-thon was underway 'based on what was needed to be topped up.' Hilda’s record attempt took the world of social media by storm, with millions in Nigeria and beyond following her progress via an Instagram live stream."