Costa Rica sets Guinness record with world’s largest Chinese fried rice

A wok with nearly a ton of fried rice, prepared Tuesday for the Chinese community in Costa Rica to celebrate the Chinese New Year, entered the Guinness Book of Records as the largest amount of Cantonese fried rice that has been cooked in the world.

Ralph Hannah, a Guinness World Record (GWR) judge from England, made the announcement at around noon after weighing the huge dish, confirming it weighed 1,345 kilograms.

The GWR representative for Latin America also confirmed that this is the first time that Costa Rica enters the famous world record book.

Armed with shovel-sized spatulas, 52 chefs gathered at 6 a.m. on Tuesday in the newly opened Chinatown in San José, around the giant wok specially made for the occasion.

Chefs cooked 735 kilograms of rice, 200 kg of chicken, 120 kg of ham, 20 kg of Chinese sausage, eggs and large quantities of chopped onions and sweet peppers, among other ingredients, to prepare the huge dish, introduced into Costa Rican food culture many years ago by Chinese immigrants.

Godwin Pang, coordinator of the event, said the initiative came from the China Association of Costa Rica, to celebrate the Chinese New Year (of the Snake), held on Feb. 10.

Much of the large Chinese community in Costa Rica is dedicated to the restaurant business, and restaurants can be found in most towns throughout the country.