Discover core concepts in the anthropology of food and food studies by exploring a fascinating array of food competitions and contests around the world.

From pepper-eating contests to televised culinary battles between celebrity chefs to the Course des Cafes in France, in which waiters must run a 2 kilometer course without spilling their trays, cultures around the world have found a myriad of ways to face off over food. This book uses food competitions – those contests in which food is a central force as motivator, medium, or reward – as the lens through which to understand social and environmental phenomena. After an initial deep-dive into what competition is, the many forms it can take, and what it does for us as humans, readers can explore competitions through chapters that mirror the lifecycle of food, from growing to preparing to eating to, ultimately, dealing with waste. Examples of competitions are culturally and geographically diverse. A collection of interviews with contestants supplement the main text, offering insights into participants' motivations and experiences.