Record-breaking 1.5-tonne torta certified at Mexico City's 21st annual Torta Fair
A massive sandwich measuring 100 meters and weighing 1,570 kilograms earned Guinness World Records certification on Wednesday at Mexico City's annual Torta Fair, marking a milestone for the event now in its 21st year.
Guinness adjudicator Alfredo Arista declared the achievement official on the esplanade of the Venustiano Carranza borough, telling organizers, "From today you are officially amazing. Congratulations!"
The record falls under the category "largest serving of sandwiches arranged in a continuous line." Guinness maintains a policy of avoiding overly specialized food categories, which explains why previous torta-specific attempts were not certified, though this year's submission met their broader sandwich criteria.
The certification surpasses the fair's earlier achievements of 76 meters in 2024 and 90 meters in 2025, neither of which carried Guinness recognition. However, the Mexico City torta did not break the global marks for heaviest sandwich — a 2,467-kilogram creation assembled in Michigan in 2005 using 1,618.4 kg of bread, 468.1 kg of corned beef, 240.4 kg of lettuce, 117.9 kg of cheese, and 68 kg of mustard — or longest sandwich, a 735-meter achievement completed in Hazmieh, Lebanon in 2011 by 775 participants over 22 hours.
Dozens of cooks wearing caps, masks and gloves assembled the record-setting torta using more than 50 varieties of fillings, including ham, breaded pork cutlet, sausage, beans, chistorra, mole, seafood, carnitas and wild boar. After weighing under strict hygiene protocols and Guinness supervision, the sandwich was divided and distributed free to thousands of attendees.
A 21-year tradition in Venustiano Carranza
The Torta Fair has become a fixture in the Venustiano Carranza borough, home to 443,704 residents according to the 2020 census. This year's five-day event, which opened Wednesday and runs through Sunday, draws on both local tradition and international participation, featuring exhibitors from eight countries and ten Mexican states.
More than 100 vendors are offering regional torta styles from Jalisco, Puebla and Yucatán, alongside international options from Colombia, Spain and China. Organizers anticipate over 600,000 visitors and an economic impact exceeding 50 million pesos (US $2.9 million). The fair also includes concerts, cultural activities and a pet adoption event.
The torta's place in Mexican culture
The torta — a sandwich made on a bolillo or telera roll — holds deep roots in Mexican culinary tradition. While references to "torta compuesta" appeared in newspapers as early as 1864, the sandwich is thought to have been first commercially sold by Armando Martínez Centurión at his Mexico City restaurant Tortas Armando in 1892. The torta emerged during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, shaped by European sandwich influences brought by the French, with wheat having been introduced during Spanish colonization.
Today, tortas represent a significant segment of Mexico City's food economy. Mayor Clara Brugada noted there are roughly 10,000 torta businesses in the capital, calling the fair a showcase for local commerce and everyday cuisine. In Jalisco state alone, INEGI statistics show over 1,300 businesses dedicated to the torta ahogada, with the vast majority centered in Guadalajara, representing one of Mexico's most regionally concentrated food specializations.
Last year, volunteers in Toluca assembled an 82-meter chorizo torta that a notary public declared a world record, though it was not Guinness-certified and specific to the chorizo category.
Admission to the Torta Fair is free, with the event continuing to celebrate both the sandwich's historical significance and its role in contemporary Mexican culture.
