Cheesus Crust! French Go Nuts for Cheese with 1,001-Topping Pizza Extravaganza

Image: guinnessworldrecords.com

Created by French pizza chefs Benoît Bruel and Fabien Montellanico, with help from cheesemaker Sophie Hatat Richart-Luna and YouTuber Florian OnAir, it surpasses the previous record of 834, achieved by Morgan Niquet in 2021.

Image: guinnessworldrecords.com

It was a carefully curated selection of 940 French cheeses and 61 international varieties, sourced from passionate cheesemakers across the globe. Imagine creamy bries, tangy cheddars, crumbly blues, and everything in between, all united on one glorious pizza crust.

But achieving this cheesy feat wasn't just about piling on the fromage. The pizza had to be structurally sound enough to withstand the baking process and the Guinness adjudicator's scrutiny. To ensure its cheesy integrity, the chefs layered the softer cheeses atop the harder ones and even used a cookie cutter to hold it all together during baking.

And the result? A visually stunning, undeniably smelly, and undoubtedly delicious pizza that officially entered the Guinness World Records in December 2023. The previous record, held by another Frenchman, Morgan Niquet, boasted a mere 834 cheeses. So, Bruel and Montellanico not only surpassed the existing record, they practically doubled it!

Their cheesy conquest didn't stop there. The 1,001-topping pizza also helped Bruel break another record: the largest display of cheese varieties. Previously held by Philippe Marchand with 730 cheeses, Bruel's cheesy collection easily claimed the top spot.