Elver Eating World Championships

The Elver Eating World Championships are held annually in Frampton on Severn in Gloucestershire, England. Elvers of the European eel were historically an important foodstuff in the Severn Valley and their annual arrival in the river was celebrated. At Frampton this celebration turned into a competitive eating contest on the village green. By the 1970s this was billed as the National Elver Eating Competition. The competition had ended by 1990 as elvers became scarcer. The competition was revived in 2015 as the Elver Eating World Championships, though elvers are no longer eaten, being replaced by elver-shaped surimi. The winners are those that can eat a portion of food in the shortest amount of time. Men eat 1 pound (0.45 kg) of surimi, women eat 0.5 pounds (0.23 kg) and children eat spaghetti.