A pair of Peruvian universities came together recently to cook the largest dish of causa ever recorded, as witnessed by the Guinness World Records organization. Chefs from the University of San Ignacio Loyola and the National University of San Antonio Abad in Cusco combined their efforts for the abnormally large causa dish, which is a traditional appetizer or side dish made with layers of potato and a protein that usually consists of chicken, shrimp or tuna.
The dish was believed to be made by the Incans who named it with the Quecha word causa, which roughly means “sustenance.” It is also made with yellow ají pepper and lemon juice. The record-breaking dish ended up weighing 590.65 kilograms or about 1,302 pounds and took 12 hours to make. This is the fourth year in a row that the team from the University of San Ignacio Loyola has made a different dish that has broken a world record for its size.
“We are truly proud to have achieved this record for Cusco and for Peru,” Raúl Diez Canseco Terry, the University of San Ignacio Loyola president, said in a statement. “With this activity, we seek to promote the consumption of Peruvian potatoes on all continents, a food rich in energy, with multiple nutritional properties and diverse uses.”
In past years, members of the private university in Lima made record-breaking quinoa, stuffed peppers, and olive salad dishes that all registered as the world’s largest when they were made.
This particular plate of causa was made with carrots, peas, beans, olives and parsley on top of the principal ingredients.
Maybe most surprisingly, the entire dish was consumed by event attendees within a matter of hours, according to Guinness World Records.
