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La Tomatina
Have you ever thought
about joining a food fight... with 50,000 people?
Then you must be dying to
throw tons of ripe tomatoes at people, right?
You’re in luck and in the
nick of time because La Tomatina is the world’s biggest food fight and you
still have time to get your ticket! The event is always on the last Wednesday of
August (8/28/13). Now you just need to book that fight to Bunol, Spain.
The small quaint city of Bunol is located in Spain
near Valencia
and is the destination of the food fight.
Its normal population is 9,000 but for this event they expand way past
maximum capacity to more than 40,000 people.
Throughout the last week of August leading up to La Tomatina, the city
is host to many festivities, dancing, fireworks and a paella-cooking contest.
As in true folklore
tradition, no one really knows for sure exactly how this food lore custom
began. The most popular story about it
is that in the mid 1940’s disgruntled townspeople attacked city councilmen with
tomatoes and it took off from there. During the reign of Francisco Franco, the
festival was banned because Franco felt it had no religious significance, but
in the 1970’s after his reign, it was reinstated.
On the day of La Tomatina,
the fight technically begins at 11 a.m. in the Plaza de Pueblo in the center of
the city; however, it really begins after a daring person has climbed up a two
story building in pursuit of a ham on a greased wooden pole. Once he has retrieved the coveted ham, the
water cannons go off and the fight begins.
All food customs have
their rules and this event is no different. Before people head out to the tomato war zone many shop owners
cover their windows to avoid too much tomato carnage. Many contenders wear
goggles, gloves, and closed toed shoes. Cameras to record the fun are
waterproof and a post-fight trip to the Bunol River
to wash off the tomato residue are also elements of the folk wisdom surrounding
the festival. Interesting to note that
the city’s water canons are only used to rinse off the streets but not the
visitors.
If you won’t be going but
still want to feel like a part of the festivities, here are some recipes you
can try from the comfort and safety of your own kitchen:
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