GALLUP, N.M. — Residents in Gallup have set what is being billed as the record for the world's largest Navajo taco, using 150 pieces of fry bread and, of course, more than 30 pounds of green chile.
Volunteers and state officials say the taco created Saturday was more than 10 feet in diameter and also needed 65 pounds of ground beef, 65 pounds of beans, 50 pounds of lettuce and 90 pounds of cheese.
Bill Lee, executive director of the Gallup McKinley County Chamber of Commerce, said there was no record for the world's largest Navajo taco in the Guinness Book of World Record, so residents created one. "We just decided we would establish the record," said Lee. "There wasn't anything on the books officially."
Lee said the objective was to highlight tourism in Gallup, a city located near the Navajo Nation, and to bring residents together for a cause.
Among those who help build the massive taco were Gallup Mayor Jackie McKinney and employees from area businesses. McKinney finished the construction by using a cherry-picker truck to sprinkle diced tomatoes in the taco's center.
Afterward, residents and organizers were treated to a free lunch.
The event was part of the New Mexico Tourism Department's "Catch the Kid" summer travel promotion scavenger hunt. Events with prizes of as much as $10,000 have been held in different cities around the state this summer.
State officials said the goal of the promotion was to bolster tourism.