Torta record

Mexican caterers have made what they say is the longest sandwich in Latin America, throwing together a 48-yard "torta" in five minutes.

Dozens of people from sandwich outlets in Mexico City came together to produce the monster baguette at the start of a three-day torta fair in the capital. Each section of the 600kg (1,320lb) sandwich had a different flavour and 30 ingredients went into the mix.

It pipped a similar super snack made at last year's fair by one metre. The record attempt took place in the city's Venustiano Carranza district with the help of local authorities and 45 torta outlets.

Thousands of pieces of bread, lettuce, onion and tomato were mixed with hundreds of litres of mayonnaise, mustard and spicy sauces, Reuters news agency reports.

"We broke our own record today," said Jose Antonio Arellano, a torta fair organiser.

The fair is aimed at boosting the torta which has taken a back seat to other fast food in recent years, Reuters notes. Fair organisers expect more than 160,000 visitors during the fair and hope to sell upwards of 200,000 tortas.