A small Croatian village reclaimed a Guinness World Record this weekend by assembling a 3-kilometre line of apple strudels made from about five tonnes of flour and fruit.
Organisers at the Strudelfest event in Jaskovo said teams used two tonnes of flour and three tonnes of apples to bake a total of 8,940 strudels. After a measurement and count, Guinness World Records adjudicator Paulina Sapinska announced the total and confirmed the attempt as a new world record.
Locals and volunteers arranged the thousands of pastries on tables set in a star formation, following a traditional recipe. Organisers said the strudels will be distributed to institutions, organisations and people in need after the festival concludes.
The achievement restores the crown to Jaskovo, which set a previous record about a decade ago with a 1.4-kilometre line of strudels. In 2019 the record passed to the town of Sisak, which assembled a line more than 1.7 kilometres long consisting of nearly 6,000 strudels.
"After very rigorous verification and counting I can announce that a total was achieved of 8,940 strudels, which means that's a new Guinness world record title," Sapinska said after the measurement. Regional mayor Martina Furdek Hajdin said the strudel is linked with local tradition and that such events help boost the rural region's development.
Thousands of visitors attended the festival, and residents and volunteers worked in shifts to prepare and lay out the pastries. A festival visitor, Monika Ivis, said the pastries "taste super," while organisers emphasised the communal effort behind the record bid.
The record is part of a recent run of high-profile Guinness achievements linked to Croatia. Last month freediver Vitomir Maričić set a Guinness World Record for the longest time breath held voluntarily underwater, remaining submerged for 29 minutes and three seconds after breathing pure oxygen beforehand to purge excess nitrogen.
Local officials said Strudelfest is aimed at celebrating culinary tradition and drawing attention to the region, and that the donated strudels will go to social institutions, hospitals and other community organisations. The festival organisers did not provide an exact timetable for distribution but said it would begin immediately following the event’s conclusion.
Guinness World Records maintains standard verification procedures for such attempts, including a formal count and measurement overseen by an adjudicator. Organisers of the Jaskovo attempt said they followed those procedures throughout the weekend to ensure the result would be recognised.