A Toss Up

     Each Fall in the tiny village of Ramsbottom, England a good natured rivalry is perpetuated between Lancashire and Yorkshire.  It is the World Black Pudding Throwing Championship.  In 2011 I had the privilege of participating in the competition that acknowledges an ancient grudge dating back to the War of the Roses when the opposing armies ran out of ammunition and resorted to throwing food at each other.

     On the second Sunday in September each year a plank (plinth if you are British) is set up 20 feet in the air from a scaffold and Yorkshire puddings are piled on it a dozen high.  Then, for a mere pound, each participating member of the citizenry is given 3 black puddings and encouraged to knock as many of the rival's puddings down as they can. 

 

     A tally of the most knocked from the plank is chronicled on a blackboard on the wall of the Royal Oak Tavern on Bridge Street where the competition is held.

     So what exactly is black pudding?  Stop reading now if you are squeamish.  It is a type of sausage made by cooking blood with a filler until it is thick enough to congeal when cooled.  In the Lancashire region of England it primarily consists of pig's blood and oatmeal and is considered a delicacy, served sliced, fried or grilled as a part of a traditional full breakfast in the UK.  And yes, I did try some.  It was a free sample offered me at the event, a fund raiser for a local hospice organization.  Let me say that it is certainly an acquired taste.  But then again, so is scrapple.