La Tomatina

     As many of you know, I travel the globe attending food festivals.  I've been to a garlic festival in California, a chili cook-off in Galveston, a chowder competition in Newport, Rhode Island and a fiery foods festival in Albuquerque.  But there is one festival that I think I will take a pass on:  the La Tomatina Food Fight Festival in Bunol, Spain.


     It was held last Wednesday in the small town not far from Valencia, as it has been each year on the last Wednesday in August since its inception in 1944.  No one is exactly sure how it began.  Some say it started as a friendly end of summer event among neighbors, others theorize that disgruntled town folk pelted city councilmen with the over ripe red orbs.  But it has become a tradition in the town of 9,000 people in honor of their patron saint, Luis Bertran.

     Thousands flock into Bunol each year to participate.  It has now become a ticket only event limited to 20,000 people.  At 11am a water cannon is set off signaling the start of the giant food fight.  Over 100 metric tons of over ripe tomatoes are trucked in and ready to be thrown.  The free for all lasts for an hour and by the end of that time everybody and everything is awash in red.  There are few rules, but an important one is strictly enforced.  All tomatoes must be squished first before being thrown.  Old clothes and goggles are strongly advised!

     At the conclusion the town's fire trucks are brought in to hose down the buildings and streets.  The water is supplied from an old Roman aqueduct.

    It's quite a mess, but at least it's safer than the annual running of the bulls in Pamplona.