THE ALPUJARRAN town of Órgiva, on Saturday 30 August, hosted the 11th run of it’s ‘loco’ and ‘picante’ annual event. This is a chilli festival (with an infamous chilli eating contest) that marks the end of August. No irony that August is the hottest month – with the hottest chillies the region can provide!
Hosted by popular bar, Venta el Puente, this event has become an annual highlight. It draws many people to watch brave souls eat ‘los picantes’ until the last person standing (or sitting) wins.
There’s also music and dancing before the “main attraction” – the chilli eating contest. Guests are invited to sample locally-produced chilli sauces from a table featuring a wide variety, accompanied by breadsticks as dips.
The event is promoted by Alex Brimmell, whose history wth local entertainment dates back to the early 2000s. Alex was affably hosting the many guests, and recounting some post-chilli-eating anecdotes that cannot be published on a public page!
A range of pre-entertainment
The event featured local bands, such as Los Micronovas and Bloody Kalma, a jam session, and music and dancing preceded the eagerly-anticipated chilli eating session. Guests could also partake in t-shirt printing, with various chilli prints available, and bracelet-making. Many were ordering traditional local dishes from the bar. These included ‘conejo en la brasa’ with the eyes still in place. This wasn’t to the reporter’s taste!
People of all ages were enjoying the ambience, with a family vibe. Many adults indulged in a few cool beers to wash down those chilli samples! Of course.
The main event – the chilli eating contest
The chilli eating contest commenced at around 9pm, with five participants sitting on chairs and being subjected to a range of increasingly-hot chillies. Participants were required to eat these chillies whole. “Mine is mouldly!”, proclaimed the promoter’s son, Jack, who is a long-standing and experienced contestant. Meanwhile, the eventual winner – Nicholas – was looking extremely relaxed and muttering something about “tips from The Simpsons”.
Participants who left their seats to drink milk (or other reasons, such as be sick – although nobody actually vomited in the end!) – were disqualified.
The final winner, Nicholas, gained a round of applause as he commented that his “eyes were watering”. We bet they were!
And today? At least one contestant, Jack, reports a “chilli hangover”. It could be worse…
Photo gallery
