Best Chefs of Europe in Sarajevo: Bosnian Team Prepares Begova Čorba for a Guinness Record with 2 Tons of Chicken!

Sarajevo is hosting two of Europe's largest chef gatherings from April 16 to 19: the Conference of the World Association of Chefs' Societies and the Global Chef's Challenge, which will for the first time bring together the best chefs from 25 European countries in the Bosnian capital over three days, writes the Bosnian news agency Patria.

The best chefs from Bosnia and Herzegovina will cook the largest ever begova čorba on Friday, consisting of around 15,000 portions, after which they could enter the Guinness Book of Records.

This spectacular event will take place on Friday at Trg oslobođenja - Alija Izetbegović. The fire will be lit at 6 a.m., and they plan to finish cooking around 2 p.m.

"The stew will require two tons of chicken, as well as hundreds of kilograms of flour, spices, and oil. There are also 150 kilograms of okra. The pot, three meters in diameter, was specially made in Tuzla for this occasion," Samir Lalić, a Mostar native with a Swedish address who is a member of the Association of Chefs of Bosnia and Herzegovina and one of the three who will attempt the Guinness record on Friday, told Patria.

Lalić explains that when applying for the Guinness record, they could not write in the application that they would cook begova čorba, so a compromise solution was found: chicken soup.

"One third of the begova čorba we cook will go directly to public kitchens, of which there are unfortunately too many in our country. We invite Sarajevans and everyone who happens to be in the city on Friday to come, join us, and be sure to bring pots and containers so they can try our stew. Whatever remains after distribution will also go to public kitchens," Lalić states.

The President of the Association of Chefs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Nermin Hodžić, stated that this is a major event for Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"The image of our country, of traditional Bosnian cuisine, will travel around the world." He added that it is wrong to think that only ćevapi and pita are symbols of Bosnian cuisine.

"There are many traditional dishes in Bosnia and Herzegovina," says Hodžić, "that our country can be proud of in the world, and one of those dishes is certainly begova čorba."

Sarajevo will host the largest annual culinary event in Europe from April 16 to 19 – the Conference of the World Association of Chefs' Societies.

This event will bring together the most famous culinary names from the world and the region, and will be an excellent opportunity to promote Bosnian-Herzegovinian dishes and traditional Bosnian cuisine.

The winner of the Global Chef's Challenge, which is held simultaneously with the conference, will go to the world chef competition.

Swedish chefs have an annual budget of one million KM

Lalić, who has lived and worked in Gothenburg for years, briefly described how much attention is paid to gastronomy and this type of event in Europe.

"Our association literally operates and works on the enthusiasm of all of us, especially Nermin who leads us, and there are also sponsors who help us. It's all small, because through gastronomy, the presentation of Bosnian cuisine, a positive image of this beautiful country, of us, our tradition, our Bosnian cuisine, is sent to the world."

"If I just tell you that the Swedish national chef team has an annual budget of one million marks, along with numerous sponsors, it speaks volumes about how much attention is paid to this and what it means for the presentation of a country," Lalić states.