Crete may have produced more than another excellent harvest.
- Local reports from Neo Chorio, Apokoronas, claim a farmer unearthed a potato weighing 6.15 kilograms.
- The current Guinness World Record for the heaviest potato, held by Peter Glazebrook from the UK, is 4.98 kg.
- Official verification requires calibrated weighing, DNA testing, and a named applicant to confirm the find.
The story first captured public attention through a viral Facebook post by Δια-SOS-τε τη Μεσαρά, which quickly spread across Greek social media. It was subsequently reported by the local news outlet ApokoronasLife, which said the extraordinary potato was unearthed in the village of Neo Chorio in Apokoronas, Chania.
According to the report, the giant tuber weighs an astonishing 6.15 kilograms (13.56 pounds)—a size that, if independently verified, would surpass the current Guinness World Record for the world’s heaviest potato.
However, despite the viral nature of the post, details remain scarce. The story is currently circulating through local media and social channels rather than official press releases. The published reports do not identify the farmer, nor do they indicate whether the potato has been weighed on certified scales or formally submitted to Guinness World Records for verification.
For a region famous for its agricultural output, the idea of holding a world record for vegetable size is an exciting prospect. But excitement does not equal certification.
The Verification Gauntlet
This is where the story moves from “viral claim” to “official record.” Guinness World Records maintains incredibly rigorous testing protocols for giant produce to eliminate fraud and error. To claim the title, the Apokoronas farmer must clear several high hurdles:
- Calibrated weighing: The potato must be weighed on certified, independent scales under the supervision of agricultural experts and Guinness adjudicators.
- Botanical testing: DNA testing is required to ensure the item is biologically a potato. In 2022, a famous 7.8 kg “potato” found in New Zealand was disqualified after testing revealed it was actually a gourd tuber.
- Public identity: The applicant usually needs to be identified and willing to undergo the scrutiny of the verification process.
For now, the Apokoronas community watches and waits. The images look genuine, and the viral post has sparked a wave of local pride, but until a Guinness adjudicator signs a certificate, it remains a very large, very impressive, but unverified potato.
Argophilia’s own review of the story uncovered several curious inconsistencies that raise additional questions. The first public attention appears to have come from a viral Facebook post by Δια-SOS-τε τη Μεσαρά, a page dedicated to the Messara region in Heraklion. The local news report, however, places the discovery in Neo Chorio, Apokoronas, in the Chania regional unit.
Our investigation also suggests that the farmer pictured in the widely shared image closely resembles a staff member associated with Vassilakis Estate in Neapoli, Lasithi—a third and entirely different part of Crete. None of these details, on their own, prove that the story is inaccurate. Together, however, they create a puzzling geographic trail that stretches from western to central and eastern Crete and leaves several important questions unanswered. Until the farmer is publicly identified and the potato is independently verified, the remarkable find should be viewed as an intriguing local report rather than a confirmed Guinness World Record contender.
