Most Meat Consumed at an Outdoor Event
26 October 2008 - Paraguay
Situated in the heart of South America, Paraguay is a relatively small country of which very
little is known. But a group of people, led by one of Paraguay’s most well-known celebrities
Humberto Rubín, wanted to change all that and put Paraguay on the map. What better way to become
internationally recognised than by breaking a Guinness World Record?
Guinness World Records adjudicator, Ralph Hannah, was invited to the Asociación Rural de Paraguay,
Mariano Roque Alonso just outside the Paraguayan capital, Asunción to witness the attempt for the most
meat consumed at an outdoor event. Over 21,740 kg (48,700lb) of meat had to be eaten in 8 hours to
surpass the record set at the Lancaster Sertoma Club Chicken Bar-B-Que, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA, on
18 May 1996.
A massive logistical operation that had taken months to organise finally came together on 26 October
2008 when over 50,000 Paraguayans were set the task of eating the 26,145 kg (57,639.8 lbs) of meat that
had been cooked using the traditional “a la estaca” method since 9 am. Each person had been given a time
slot on entry as only 10,000 people could be accomodated in the dining area at any one time. Once the
Paraguayans were served their meat lived up to their reputation of being meat-lovers as they devoured
all the meat by 3.30 pm, a full two hours earlier than the record guidelines demanded.
Later that afternoon Ralph Hannah confirmed that all the meat had been consumed and presented Humberto
Rubín with a Guinness World Records certificate who accepted it on behalf of all the people who had attended
and helped organise the largest event Paraguay has ever seen. The event was a double success as it also
helped raise 10,000s of US dollars for two foundations Kuña-Aty and ASOLEU who assist victims of domestic
violence and children with leukemia respectively.
04 November 2008