2,700 volunteers showed up to help prepare the biggest mangu (pur?e of plantain, similar to mashed potatoes) in the world last Sunday at the Moca multisports complex. Moca plantain farmers organized the event to receive a mention in the Guinness Book of Records. Moca is a northcentral city located near many fertile farms.
To beat the record, the volunteers began peeling the plantains at 7:06am, with the final product ready to serve by 10:20am. 54,000 units of plantains were peeled and mashed, yielding approximately 24,000 pounds of mangu. The mangu was served at the Polideportivo de Moca on a 160-foot by 4-foot wide table to approximately 5,000 people, and was accompanied by 20,000 eggs and 9,000 slices of salami. Some 100lbs of salt and two barrels of 52 gallons of oil were also used in the preparation, which cost an estimated RD$1 million. Leftovers were sent to the public hospital.
Radio broadcaster JM Hidalgo, who in November established a new Guinness world record for non-stop radio broadcast, acted as coordinator and lined up a live-radiocast from the event. The idea was to put Moca into the Guinness book as a productive farmland.