Could Sir Hugh Beaver, founder of the Guinness Book of World Records, have guessed how many incredible achievements would be set to make it to the pages of his publication?
The famous book, which recently celebrated its 60th anniversary, consists of 10 sections, in which a huge number of records are recorded. There are also quite a few unusual culinary achievements among them, which literally boggle the imagination.
Hamburger weighing from a truck
The largest hamburger in the world was made in the American state of Wisconsin, in the small town of Seymour. It is this place that is considered the birthplace of popular fast food. Here, in 1885, chef Charles Nagrin first got the idea to flatten a meatball and place it inside a round bun.
In a city where only 3.5 thousand people live, all sights, monuments and even a museum are dedicated to hamburger. The shops have a lot of souvenirs in the form of this American fast food, and in 1989 an incredible 2.5 ton hamburger was made at a local festival!
Another similar record was set not so long ago by the Serbs. In 2010, a hamburger was prepared in Leskovac with a truly giant cutlet, which required 51 kilograms of minced meat.
Precious hot dog
According to one version, this world famous street food appeared in Germany. But it became especially popular in the United States, where they began to celebrate their own Hot Dog Day (July 18) with fanfare and even established a special National Council for Hot Dogs and Sausages. Oh, these Americans already, what they can think of!
Therefore, there is nothing surprising in the fact that it was the American hot dog that got into the Guinness Book of Records. The landmark event took place on February 23, 2014 in Seattle. Then the “historic” sausage bun was sold for a record amount of $ 169. Instead of the usual sausage, the world’s most expensive hot dog included more refined ingredients: Japanese marbled beef, caviar, foie gras and black truffles. It is all the more surprising that the delicacy was prepared not in a restaurant, but in an ordinary Tokyo Dog diner.
By the way, the previous record for the cost of this fast food also belonged to the Americans. It’s good that in addition to gourmet options, you can also eat the most ordinary hot dogs, which are much cheaper in America – about $ 2.
Strudel kilometer
Strudel is a classic Austrian dessert made from drawn dough. The first recipe for this delicate, mouth-watering apple roll with cinnamon and raisins was published in Vienna over 300 years ago.
But, oddly enough, the longest strudel in history was prepared not at all in Austria, but in neighboring Germany. The record was set on May 26, 1994 in the city of Karlsruhe, where they baked a delicacy as long as 1674 meters!
And one of the largest strudel in Austria was prepared by chef Markus Meyer in 2015 in Salzburg. It took him 3 tons of apples to create a dessert 752 meters long! The action was charitable – all the proceeds were sent to the children’s oncological hospital in Salzburg.
The largest pizza
Another favorite dish of millions is pizza. Italy is her homeland, and the current record belongs to this country. On December 13, 2012, the world’s largest pizza was prepared in Rome. It is difficult to imagine a dish with a diameter of 40 meters and a weight of over 16 tons!
Over making an incredible 1261.65 sq. m 5 Italian chefs worked for two days. The record holder even got her own name – “Ottavia” – in honor of the first Roman emperor Octavian Augustus.
After the Italian achievement was recorded by the representatives of the Guinness Book of Records, the giant pizza was cut into portions and distributed to Roman shelters.
Pizza aficionados won’t trade their favorite dish for any other, and even long distances are not a hindrance. Also in 2012, Pizza 4 Patriots shipped 30,000 pizzas to American soldiers in Afghanistan for Independence Day. This promotion went down in history as the largest pizza delivery in the world. It was completed in 36 hours, and the total weight of the cargo was 23 tons.
Sculptures worthy of the Chocolate Museum
An unusual record was set in November 1997 in Ghent. In the Zuid shopping center, a sculpture of truly incredible dimensions was erected from the best Belgian chocolate. It was installed by the “Richmont Club” located in the same building. To the delight of local children, the sculpture depicted a dinosaur and its size matched it: the thickness of the “ancient pangolin” was 4.7 m, length – 14.97 m, and height – 7.47 m.
Another impressive chocolate record was also set in Belgium. In November 2012, the world’s longest chocolate train was presented to the public at Chocolate Week. Installed in Brussels South Station, the sweet masterpiece was a unique piece.
None of the carriages repeated each other – they all reflected the styles of different eras and, moreover, were executed in such detail that even the curtains on the windows could be seen. The train was 34 meters long and weighed 1285 kilograms. It took the Maltese chocolatier Andrew Farrugia 784 hours to create it.
And the largest chocolate bar belongs to the UK. On October 5, 1998, the Birmingham-based Cadbury Dary Milk introduced a giant chocolate bar that weighed 1.1 tons and was 2.7 kilometers long. I wonder if Belgium can ever beat this British record?
Gourmet coffee
Flavored freshly brewed coffee is loved by hundreds of millions of people on the planet, but not everyone can taste the exotic and expensive drink produced in Indonesia. This is kopi luwak coffee, which sells 250 g of beans for $ 75. Such a high cost is due to the great rarity of the drink, and the small volume of production is associated with a special way of processing coffee beans.
The small mustang animals that live in Southeast Asia eat the most ripe and selected coffee berries. The undigested grains are then removed from their excrement, processed and sold under the name Kopi Luwak. Despite the high cost and specific way of processing raw materials, this type of coffee has many admirers, and gourmets consider its taste to be exceptional and unique.
Also, Kopi Luwak coffee is produced in the Philippines, South India and Vietnam.
However, according to some sources, in the ranking of the most expensive coffee in the world, this rare variety occupies only the fourth line. He is ahead of:
- Black Ivory Coffee (Thailand, over $ 500 for 450 g) – Arabica beans are passed through the digestive tract of elephants. About 10% of the sales proceeds go to veterinary care for elephants and the purchase of medicines;
- Finca El Injerto Coffee (Guatemala, about $ 500 for 450 g) – natural, eco-friendly coffee with a fruity aroma and aftertaste;
- Hacienda La Esmeralda (Panama, about $ 500 for 450 g) is a rare gourmet coffee made from Arabica beans, which is sold in micro lots through an auction.
Beer for the most persistent
An impressive beer record is held by BrewDog in Fraserburg, Scotland. The strongest beer ever sold is called The End Of History. It was produced in 2010 and the only batch consisted of only 11 330 ml bottles. The alcohol content of the beer was 55%. The price of the drink is equally impressive at £ 500 per bottle, making this beer one of the most expensive in the world.
But that’s not all. A design was also created to match the record – each bottle was placed … in a stuffed animal. According to the authors of the controversial idea (and we will take their word for it), not a single fluffy animal was hurt. All animals – 4 gray squirrels and 7 ermines – died of their own accord. Their lifeless carcasses were found on the road and handed over to a professional taxidermist who made the stuffed animals.
The world of gastronomic records is truly inexhaustible. He surprises, inspires, and sometimes even shocks. Sometimes a new achievement is the introduction of an unusual and previously unfamiliar dish, which turns into an interesting adventure. So let there be many such incredible adventures on your trip!