CANDON CITY – The people of Candon broke, thought still unofficially, the existing Guinness World Record last Tuesday when they baked the world’s biggest rice cake called “calamay” that weighed a little less than three tons.

Displayed for three days at the town plaza, the ‘calamay’ eclipsed the existing world record registered by a town in Japan four years ago.

“Calamay” is a sticky concoction of ground glutinous rice, grated coconut meat and sugar. One of the top indigenous products of Candon, the ‘calamay’ is sold in 24-hour stands in front of the city plaza, catering mostly to residents returning to Manila.

At least 10,000 people, including foreign and local tourists, witnessed and tasted the giant ‘calamay’ (rice cake) weighing 2,547 kilograms.

This easily surpassed the Guinness Book of World Record registered by Niigata in Japan in March 21, 2002 at 2,097 kilograms or 4,632 pounds. It was baked by the Kamaura Food Co. Ltd. The rice in the Japanese native cake was merely steamed.

Officials headed by City Mayor Allen G. Singson, in coordination with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of Tourism, still have to submit the full documentation of the event to the Guinness Book of World Record, said Rep. Eric Singson of the second district of Ilocos Sur.

In order to beat Niigata’s world record, Candon mobilized at least 45 people, mostly women, to bake the giant ‘calamay’ for three days, using 22 vats and working in six shifts or a total of 132 vats.

A total of 2,000 coconuts, 200 gantas of glutinous ground rice and 1,200 kilos of brown sugar were put together to bake the ‘calamay’.

Officials here said this was approximately three times bigger than the ‘calamay’ that Candon made last year which it already tagged at the “World Biggest Calamay”, although this was not entered in Guinness record yet.

The giant ‘calamay’ was made by the people as one of the top features of the city fiesta dedicated to hundreds of balikbayans.