Record 'roast'ed in 48 minutes

Vijayawada finds a mention in the Guinness Book of World Records for creating the longest and mouth-watering south Indian favourite snack -dosa.

Restaurateurs  of the coastal city recently created the longest dosa ever made in the history -- 38.2 feet, as long as a railway coach, a double-bus or even a modest school room to bag the recognition.

The hospitality makers of Vijayawada have bettered the previous record of a 32.5 feet dosa established by Sankalp Restaurant in Ahmedabad in August 2009.

The feat performed in the presence of Guinness Book of World Records adjudicator Elizabeth Smith, who flew in a special chartered flight to the coastal town braving the summer heat of over 40 degrees.

Thousands of hungry spectators who included Union Tourism Minister Subodh Kant Sahay and Union Minister of State for Human Resources D Purandeswari gathered at the sprawling ground of the Siddhartha College of Arts and Science College to witness the rare feat performed as part of the golden jubilee celebrations of the Vijayawada Hotel Owners’ Association.

It was a much-cherished sight for the gluttonous at the venue when the nearly 30 chefs began their feat over a 55-foot-long hot plate. “In all, we used  25 kg of dosa batter ground to perfection for the performance before the Guinness officials,” claimed Pattabhi Ram, president of the association.

Anxious eyes viewed with anticipation as the huge batter was spread evenly on the hot plate with a thickness of 1.5 inches. As many as 12 LPG cylinders were used to provide uniform heat. “To make a good roasted dosa the heat should spread all over hot plate,” said Subramanian, one of the chefs.

Rolling dosa was the toughest part of the feat. All the chefs worked as a team in total coordination to get it perfectly right into three rolls as the batter turned crispy brown, eclipsing the two-year-old record.

It took them nearly 48 minutes to make the world’s largest dosa, which was 38.5 feet long and weighed roughly 18 kgs.

Once the crispy brown dosa was ready, Elizabeth  Smith had it measured, weighed and recorded. Later, she announced amid cheers that the Vijayawada dosa at 38.5 feet long and 1.3 feet wide was the longest and brownest South Indian delicacy in the world .She also handed over the Guinness Book of World Records certificate to the representatives of the Vijayawada Hoteliers Association.