Venezuela Claims Big Soup Record
By SANDRA SIERRA
CARACAS,
Venezuela (AP) - Venezuelan officials claimed a world record Saturday
for making the largest pot of soup, a giant cauldron of stew prepared
by President Hugo Chavez's government.
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(AP)
Government workers stand on a platform as they stir a soup
in Caracas, Saturday, Sept. 15, 2007.... |
The
hulking stainless steel cooking pot, set up outdoors in downtown
Caracas, contained about 3,960 gallons of "sancocho"
stew, Food Minister Rafael Oropeza said. That would dwarf the
current record-holder listed on the Guinness World Records Web
site, a pot of 1,413 gallons of spicy soup prepared in Durango,
Mexico, in July.
Oropeza
called it "Bolivarian stew" - a play on the name of
Chavez's socialist movement, named in honor of South American
independence hero Simon Bolivar. He said it was enough to feed
60,000 to 70,000 people.
Workers
stood on raised platforms stirring the soup with poles, and then
dished out servings to a crowd at a state-run market.
It
contained 6,600 pounds of chicken, 4,400 pounds of beef and tons
of vegetables.
Addressing reporters next to the pot, Oropeza said the government
is solving supply problems that have made it difficult for Venezuelans
to find staples like milk and eggs in recent months. He said the
state-run market had ample reserves of all products.
With
price controls in place, rising demand has outstripped domestic
production of some foods, prompting an increase in imports. Oropeza
said the only product that remains in short supply is milk, a
situation he blamed on a "world problem" of unusual
cold snaps and dry spells hurting milk production.
As
for the soup, he introduced a representative of Guinness World
Records who he said was on hand to certify the record.
The
5,413-gallon pot was about three-quarters full.
"We
didn't add more for security reasons," Oropeza said. "There's
plenty for second helpings."
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