I’ll admit that I’ve never quite understood people whose greatest burning desire is to get listed in the Guinness Book of World Records, though I sure did enjoy reading about them–the man with the world’s longest fingernails, the woman with the world’s longest hair– when I was a kid.

You don’t hear as much about Guinness these days, but just in case you were worried that the book has faded into obscurity, fear not:

Peru just won the title for the World’s Largest Ceviche, earning it a place amidst the pages of the next Guinness Book of World Records.

The ceviche, a raw fish appetizer that is “cooked” in citrus juice, weighed in at 6.8 tons, besting Mexico’s 2005 record for a 4.5 ton ceviche.

It took 450 students hours of work in an open-air stadium to squeeze limes, shake salt, and chop onions and aji peppers.

And once they were done?

The line of folks wrapped around the stadium each got a plateful of the ceviche that might just put the Peruvian town of Callao on the map.

What’s your favorite Guinness world record? Share your thoughts below.

Photo: gomattolson (Flickr creative commons)

 
 

About The Author

Julie Schwietert

Julie Schwietert Collazo is a writer, editor, researcher, and translator currently in New York, formerly of Mexico City and San Juan. She is Matador's managing editor and is the lead faculty member of MatadorU's travel writing program.

  • Hal

    Can't wait to chow down on some ceviche when I'm in Peru next month!

  • Lucy

    That is an excellent new!!!, Ceviche is the best dish Peru has. When I came to this country I had the opportunity to try it in different cities and all of them had adapted it to its customs maintaining its original flavor. If You travel to this country you can not stop eating, it would be wrong. I also suggest that coordinate with your travel agency to prepare you a list of the best restaurants where you can eat this and other dishes of Peru. I did it with TurPeru, the travel agency I hired, and went very well. I recommend you its website is http://www.turperu.com.pe

 

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