Californian chefs whip up a batch of menudo soup which weighs the same as a giraffe

A huge 300-gallon kettle has been used to cook an enormous vat of record-breaking soup in America.

With the help of culinary students from the Art Institutes, chefs from Juanita’s Foods set the Guinness World Records title for the Largest menudo soup during an event held at company headquarters in Wilmington, California.

The attempt was organized in honor of National Menudo Month, which celebrates the traditional Mexican dish served at family gatherings.

The enormous vat of soup was cooked in a 300-gallon kettle, which weighed a record-breaking 1,106 kg (2,439 lb) - the same as an average adult giraffe. 

It was prepared with 444.5 kg (980 lb) of tripe in beef bone stock, 272 lb (600 lb) of Juanita’s Original Mexican Style Hominy, and 77.5 kg (171 lb) of spices including a mix of guajillo, ancho, árbol and chipotle peppers.

Not included in the record weight are garnishes that were added on top of individual servings, which included 875 limes, 24 kg (54 lb) of chopped onions,  12 kg (28 lb) of chopped cilantro, and 1.8 kg (4 lb) of dried oregano.

Latino celebrities, including Mexican stars Angélica María and Mexican Regional Music singer Jonatan Sanchez, joined the hundreds of people who took part in the history-making celebration.

The event also marked the conclusion of Juanita’s Vive la Tradición Homemade Menudo Contest in California.

As part of the festivities Adalia Quiroga from San Bernardino was named California Queen of Homemade Menudo and received the keys to a brand-new Kia Soul.

To make sure the attempt followed Guinness World Records guidelines, all soup remaining after the record event was donated to charitable organizations in the local community, Food Finders, Long Beach Rescue Mission, and Dream Center.