How to Become a Cheese Racer and Who Is Allowed to Spit Bones: The Weirdest Food Contests Around the World

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Surely everyone in childhood was told that it is impossible to play with food. However, modern organizers of all sorts of events and contests challenge children's prohibitions and organize contests directly related to food, drinks and even holiday dishes. At the same time, the organizers of such competitions assure that the participants will be able to have a great time playing with food.

Rolling in oatmeal, USA

This small town of just over two thousand has hosted the World Oatmeal Festival for many years in a row. For three days, all the events held in St. George are related to cereals, including Rolling in Oatmeal. The huge pool is filled with raw porridge mixed with water, and the participants take turns "diving into it" for exactly 10 seconds. The winner can be the one who carries the most viscous substance.

Participants are weighed before and after the "swim", and the contestants diligently prepare costumes for this festival, allowing them to capture as much of the mixture as possible, some even tape the cuffs of the sleeves and the bottom of the trousers with tape so that when "emerging" precious grams of oatmeal do not fall out. The record was set in 2015: 66 lb (29.94 kg) porridge.

International Cherry Pit Spitting Championships, USA

The Cherry Pit Long Range Championship has been held in July at Tree-Mendus Fruit Farm in Eau Claire, Michigan since 1974. The winner receives the title of Spitting Champion of this competition, which the organizers consider international, since not only US citizens are allowed to participate. This competition has a division of participants by age, there is a separate women's championship and certain rules.

For example, a competitor should not have any devices in his mouth that could increase the range of a bone from his mouth, cherries should be exclusively Montmorency varieties and cooled to a temperature of 12, 78 - 15, 56 Celsius (55-60 Fahrenheit).

Haggis throw, Scotland

Since 1977, these competitions have been held in Scotland close to the date of January 25, the birthday of Robert Burns, who was a great lover of haggis - a national dish made from mutton giblets and in a lamb stomach. Participants should not only throw haggis at a distance, but also ensure that the insides of the dish do not crumble on the ground.

Before the throw, each haggis is checked so that the participants do not add special bonding agents to it. The world record for this competition was set in 2011 by Lorne Coltart, who threw a haggis 217 feet (66.14 meters).

Marathon du Medoc, France

Held annually in September in France between the castles of the Médocs, this amazing marathon includes not only a 26-mile race, but also stops to taste wine, cheese and oysters almost every mile. In addition, each race has its own theme and participants run in real carnival costumes.

For example, in 2019, the organizers decided that only superheroes should take part in such a long-distance race, and the marathoners looked like animated characters from cartoons, films and comics. The marathon includes 23 stations, each of which offers water, but the line invariably lines up for wine. Those wishing to take part in this extraordinary competition should take care of registration in advance, because there are really a lot of runners.

Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling, UK

The Gloucestershire Cooper's Hill Dairy Competition is effectively a cheese race held every spring during the bank vacation. A 9-pound head of cheese rolls down the hill, and just a second later, 20 young people are running after it, who want to catch up with the cheese. True, the Gloucester double (and it is this cheese that participates in the race) develops a speed of up to 70 miles per hour, and therefore it is very difficult to catch up with it.

Nevertheless, every year participants rush down the steep hill, who are not stopped even by the unofficial status of the competition. In 2009, this race was recognized as one of the most dangerous in the world. He was described in a very exotic way: "Twenty young men, chasing cheese up the hill, fly, tumbling 200 yards down to be scraped at the foot by the doctors, who will pack them and send them to the hospital." Since 2013, the head of cheese has been replaced with a lighter imitation to reduce the risk of injury.

Small Foods Party, USA

Every year Baltimore gathers those who want to compete in the competition for the smallest food. Tiny pies and banana muffins, cocktails in glasses no bigger than shrimp, bento the size of a matchbox - it's all a miniature food contest in Baltimore. That said, the winning team of the Small Foods Party will get a truly giant decorated can of mini corn and a chance to host an event next year. But to win, it is not enough to prepare micro-portions of familiar dishes, you need to present them beautifully, and also surprise the jury with unusual themes and extraordinary costumes.

In fact, as frivolous as it might seem at first glance, the festival has very lofty goals. All funds raised go to Moveable Feast, which provides food for people with life-threatening illnesses.

World Custard Cake Throwing Championships, UK

This unusual competition first took place in 1967, when local politician Mike Fitzgerald announced a fundraiser to build a town hall with a quiche cake throwing competition. In fact, the politician was inspired by Charlie Chaplin's pie, which he threw behind the screen in one of the films. And today people from different countries come to this championship to win the champion title. Teams of 4 people each take part in the competition, but they can make throws exclusively with their left hand.

The team scores points for aiming at the opposing team members standing several feet away. A hit in the face brings the team 6 points, anywhere above the shoulder - three, and anywhere else - one point. If the player misses three times in a row, then one point is deducted from the team. Some contestants put on original costumes before the start of the competition, however, by the end of the competition, only custard is visible on all participants.

At all times, people loved to compete. Especially popular in the USA fast food eating contests. Since the 1910s, competitions for the absorption of all kinds of products have been massively held in the country. And every year the amount eaten in the allotted period of time only increases.