Montreal

Small Quebec village smashes world record with 962-kilo tourtière

Weighing nearly 962 kilos, a tourtière made in Desbiens, Que. Saturday is expected to be added to the the Guinness Book of Records — crushing the previous record by over 140 kilos.

The 12-metre long meat and potato pie was tasted by some 2,000 people Saturday

The pie weighed 962 kilos, toppling the 2012 mean and potato pie record of 819 kilos. (Claude Bouchard/Radio-Canada)

Weighing nearly 962 kilos, a tourtière made in Desbiens, Que., Saturday is expected to be added to the Guinness Book of Records — crushing the previous record by over 140 kilos.

Local grocery store, Marché Bolduc, prepared the 12-metre long, traditional meat and potato pie that, after two official weigh-ins, was tasted by about 2,000 people during an event called "Desbiens extrême."

Desbiens, with a population of just over 1,000, is on the shore of Lac Saint-Jean, about 230 kilometres north of Quebec City.

Marché Bolduc has been readying for the event for about six years, ensuring it follows all the rules in the record-breaking attempt.

Cooking the pie began the day before and volunteer Laurier Perron says photos, videos and other proof were collected throughout the pie's preparation.

"We have a set of rules to follow, so we respected the rules and, for Guinness, we must send evidence to show that it weighs more than 1,800 pounds, which is the current record," says Perron.

The meat and potato pie, traditionally eaten on Christmas Day in Quebec, was weighed twice by special equipment to ensure its spot in the Guinness Book of Work Records. (Claude Bouchard/Radio-Canada)

The pie contained 718 kilos of potatoes, 326 kilos of meat, 463 kilos of seasonings and 79 kilos of dough.

The previous Guinness record for the largest meat and potato pie was set in Wildwood, New Jersey. That pie, cooked in 2012, weighed 819 kilos.

With files from Radio-Canada