It’s time to take a trip around the world to see the weirdest, biggest, hottest foods, and meet the people who make them, grow them, and eat them in record-breaking conditions. Most of these world records would be utterly incomprehensible to the common man – not everyone can eat several sticks of butter and keep ‘em down! But our record breakers are no ordinary people; they’d given any of us a run for our money any time.
It’s genuinely fascinating to see the way people eat around the world, and what extent they’ll go to, to make a name for themselves to break a Guinness world record. Let’s check out these extraordinary individuals and their awe-inspiring, record-breaking food acts.
Eating Excruciatingly Hot Chilli Peppers
19th June 2014 was the 151st birthday of Wilbur Scoville. Scoville found fame for devising a system for measuring the spiciness of chili; it’s called the Scoville scale. And our first food record is for eating the hottest chili peppers known to humanity – the Bhut Jolokia peppers, aka ghost peppers.
Amedonou Kankue broke the world record for the fastest time for eating Bhut Jolokia chili peppers, on Wilbur Scoville’s birthday. How apt! Originally from Togo, Kankue appeared on an Italian TV show to try his fate with the record. He ate ten whole Bhut Jolokia chillis within the breath-taking time of 30.70 seconds to set the record. He carefully chewed and swallowed every single one of them for the satisfaction of the onlooking judges. These ghost peppers are said to be 400 times hotter than Tabasco sauce.
Eating the Most Mayonnaise
Mayo may be one of the most popular bottled condiments in the world, but very few of us have the gall to eat it with a spoon, straight from the bottle. The gooey texture would make anyone throw-up – anyone but Michelle Lesco from Arizona, USA. She is a math teacher by profession and the ultimate foodie at heart because she loves breaking food records (she has two more under her belt)!
On 13th December 2018, Michelle ‘Cardboard Shell’ Lesco set out to eat as much mayonnaise in as little time as possible. She slurped down 86.25 ounces of it, which makes nearly three and a half jars, in 3 minutes! That’s all it took her. As the audience sat there (some in awe, many in disgust), Michelle got herself the world title for the fastest mayonnaise eater. And she did it like a lady… with a spoon!
Fastest Time to Eat a Jam Doughnut
Now onto something more present, i.e., jam doughnut! While for many of us eating a jam doughnut is a slow and careful effort, that’s not the case for Philip Joseph Santoro of San Francisco, California, USA. He doesn’t mind making a mess because he ate it without using his hands or any other aids. He does it fast and recklessly, which makes him a daredevil of sorts in his own right.
On 17th April 2014, Philip Santoro devoured a jelly-filled doughnut without the aid of his hands, and he didn’t even lick his lips! He broke the record by eating the doughnut on 11.40 seconds right in his living room, as the judged watched him live. It’s been more than five years, and Philip’s record is yet to be broken.
An Entire Jar’s Worth of Peanut Butter
Did you know that peanut butter was invented in Canada in 1890 by a local chemist? Americans love it so much that there is a dedicated ‘Peanut Butter Day’ on January 24th, but one German man loves peanut butter the most.
Andre Ortolf from Augsburg, Germany, broke the world record for eating the most peanut butter in 2017. On 17th November, Andre sat down with a camera and a bottle of peanut to eat as much as he could, consuming 378 grams of thick, delicious peanut butter in 1 minute flat. He also holds the record for drinking mustard and eating the most mashed potatoes; that must be one awesome party in his stomach!
How Many Cloves of Garlic…Again?
Most of us wouldn’t dare eat raw garlic because of its mood-killing smell. But did you know that it is a part of many Asian diets, consumed in natural form in massive quantities every day? Perhaps that’s why a Nepali man had no trouble eating enough of them to break a world record!
23-year-old Bharat Bista from Kathmandu, Nepal, called a press conference to attempt this feat in front of the world. He chomped down on 42 cloves of garlic in 1 minute to break the previous record held by an Illinois-native. His accreditation is still pending with the folks at Guinness World Records, but we have no doubt he will soon have an official registration of his record-breaking feat!
On the Topic of Eating Things Raw… How About Onions?
On December 31, 2013, New Year’s Eve, the world celebrated the beginning of the next year. The Japanese were also partying up the night, but in a quaint corner in Sumoto, Hyogo, Japan, a weird record was being broken.
The venue was Commode 56 Shopping Street, and the crowd had gathered to see Yusuke Yamaguchi eat a whole onion. Mr. Yamaguchi broke the world record by eating a whole raw onion in the fastest time of 29.56 seconds. That’s one way to celebrate the New Year!
Let’s Wash It down and Have Some Fun!
Bruce Masters, a 74-year-old granddad from the UK, has worked his whole life to break this particular record. But on 29th January 2014, Guinness World Record officially acknowledged him for his feats. The man has visited 46,495 pubs drinking beer, and he admits that all this drinking is the secret to his eternal youth. Who wouldn’t want to drink to that?
Bruce was just 15 years of age when he started visiting pubs, looking for cheap thrills. A pint cost a shilling (around 6 cents) back then, and he drank to his heart’s content. The retired train operator reckons he has spent £120,000 ($148,000) during five decades of unapologetic boozing. Goals!
The Most Oysters Eaten in Three Minutes
Competitive oyster-eating – the idea itself is quite strange, because it’s so fascinating but also outright disgusting. However, a man names Colin Shirlow seems to have nothing against the snot-like texture and gray grime of oysters. Perhaps that’s why he has held on the record since the day he made it in 2005.
It happened on September 3, 2005, when Colin Shirlow from the United Kingdom ate a heart-stopping 233 oysters in three minutes flat. While this startling feat has forever cemented a place for Shirlow in the Guinness World Records, we have no word on whether he also had the ‘worst vomit ever’ that night!
Most Expensive Fungus! Wait. What?
Let’s show a little respect and call them Italian White Truffles, aka Tuber Magnatum Pico. The White Truffle is considered the ultimate in culinary luxury, and it grows naturally in some parts of Italy and Croatia. There have been several attempts at trying to build it on a larger scale under artificial conditions, but none have succeeded so far.
The offices of Guinness World Records have given the title of the world’s most expensive fungus to Tuber Magnatum Pico for fetching up to $3000 per kilo. Remember, these truffles grow a foot underground and can only be found by trained truffle-hunting dogs.
The Milk Squirting Eye
That’s a strange title, isn’t it? Well, it’s about to get a whole lot stranger in here when we tell you about Ilker Yilmaz, a Turkish construction worker who set the record for squirting milk with his eye. Yes, you read that right.
On September 1st, 2014, Yilmaz arrived at the Armada Hotel in Istanbul to break the one record none of us knew even existed. The then 28-year-old poured milk into his hand, snorted it up to his nose, and then he squirted it a mind-boggling distance of nine feet and 2 inches (2.79 meters). He says he can do it because his tear glands are an anomaly. Good for him!
Blowing Big Bubblegum Bubbles
Chad Fell of Haleyville, Alabama, United States wanted the Guinness Book of World Records to feature his name. He met this challenge by setting the record for the most gigantic bubble blown from a gum. He did not use his hands or any other type of assistance to blow and hold his bubble, which measures 20 inches in diameter. Fell held it like a pro for a full five minutes.
He had prepared for this record for many years by chewing on two bags of bubblegum every week, before attempting it on 24th April 2014. In an interview with Reader’s Digest a few years later, he said that it’s a good idea to chew the gum for 15 minutes at least because the sugar in new gum can decrease elasticity. His record stands safely to this date, as no one has been able to pop it.
Making McDonald’s a Lifestyle Choice
If you think eating McDonald’s every day is scary, meet Donald Gorske from Fond du Lac, United States. He has been eating McDonald’s daily for the past 46 years consecutively – without any break at all. The 64-year-old is a self-proclaimed Big Mac enthusiast and has consumed more than 30,000 burgers to date.
Gorske started in the spring of 1972 and got himself a world record in 2008; nothing has stopped him since. He says that he didn’t do it set a record, he just really, really likes eating Big Macs, and the Guinness record is just a side effect to his obsession with McDonald’s.
Treacherous Treading… on Grapes!
Random, but ok. So, you know how wine is made traditionally, right? A person has to stomp on the grapes barefoot to extract the juices from the fruit. It doesn’t sound very hygienic, but Italians believe that’s a great way to get the most flavorful wine.
So anyways, Martina Servaty from Germany arrived at the studios of Guinness World Records in Cologne, Germany, on 13 September 2008 to set the record for herself. She stomped on grapes to extract a record-breaking 20.3 liters of juice in two minutes flat. Must’ve been quite the exercise!
More on Feet and Grapes!
You see a pattern here, do you? From stomping on grapes, this record goes straight up to eating grapes with feet. It certainly sounds like a unique challenge, but Kaif Ali Khan from Kotdwara, India, was confident that he’d be able to do it.
On December 9th, 2018, the officials from Guinness World Record gathered at his home to see him attempt the feet… feat. They saw him eat 65 grapes, one by one with his feet, in 3 minutes flat. Now that’s a record, many of us can’t even attempt, let alone break. It looks like Kaif will retain the title for a very long time.
The Ice Cream Licking Chain
The morning of July 23rd, 2011, was just like all others in Northern Ireland – except for the fact that men, women, and children were gathering in the north coast resort to form the longest chain of people satiating their sweet tooth at the same time.
According to Guinness World Record Website, 2,728 participants had gathered to form a human chain to eat the free ice cream offered by the Morelli family, who run an ice cream in the neighborhood.
Have Your Lemons and Eat Them Too
Jim Lyngvild from Copenhagen, Denmark, decided to get himself a record for Guinness World Records Day. He showed the world that he is no sucker as he peeled and ate three lemons in a mere 28 seconds. Not only did he eat three whole, raw lemons, but he did it live on TV2 Denmark’s show called Go’Aften Danmark.
The exciting part of this record is that Mr. Lyngvild didn’t stop after he had set the record for eating three lemons. He went on to eat three more, so a total of six lemons in 1.04 minutes. That’s a lot of Vitamin C for one day!
Most Marshmallows in My Mouth
Two Japanese youngsters, Nobuyuki Suzuki and Masayasu Yagi, had gone viral for displaying an unusual talent for catching marshmallows with their mouths. So they set out to make their talent official with an accreditation from the Guinness Book of World Records.
The youngster s achieved the feat in their first-ever try by catching 53 marshmallows throw at them. And they did it with their mouths that too in only a minute. Before these Japanese young men, the record was held by an American and Australian pair of friends who caught 47 marshmallows in a minute.
Chopsticks with Jelly Beans
These two don’t go together very well unless your name is Asha Leo. On September 6th, 2017, Asha Leo went from the US to Japan, where she had to host a TV show for Guinness World Records, called GWR Beyond The Record. No one knew then that she would end up making a record for herself as well.
She was interviewing Mr. Cherry, A Japanese with multiple records to his name when they decided that she should train to eat jelly beans… with chopsticks! And the rest, as they say, is history. Asha Leo ate 40 jelly beans with chopsticks in one minute in Tochigi, Tochigi, Japan, to set a pretty sweet world record.
Eggs That Are a Little Too Extra
Ostriches are the largest birds in the world, and they are known for laying eggs that weigh around 1.5 kilos. But the quaint little town of Borlänge in Sweden found out that Ostriches can lay much bigger eggs too. Locals Gunnar and Kerstin Sahlin found this monster egg on their farm, and they rushed to the local post office to weigh it.
It became the world’s most giant egg, weighing a little over 2.5 kilograms. The Sahlins got their official confirmation from Guinness World Records on 17 May 2008. Initially, they weren’t sure what they would do with the egg, but there were plans in place to bake a giant cake with it, or maybe use it to make a giant tub of ice cream the last time we heard.
From Laying Eggs to Eating Eggs
Ashrita Furman loves his eggs, as evident by the several egg-related world records he has broken. But this one caught our eye the most. You see, the world-renowned record-breaker peeled and then ate six hard-boiled eggs in a minute.
Furman achieved the feat on March 23rd, 2012, in New York, USA. Each egg was weighed and confirmed to be more than 58g. He is considered one of the most prolific record-breakers in recent history, with more than 600 titles to his name.
Captivated by Caviar
Caviar is the epitome of decadence and luxury in food, and this salty delicacy is often reserved for the rich and the famous. Simply put, caviar refers to the roe or eggs of wild sturgeon that lives in the Black and Caspian Seas. The best type of caviar comes from Beluga, Ossetra, and Sevruga sturgeons.
However, according to Guinness World Records, a type of Beluga caviar is the most expensive in the world. It is called ‘Almas,’ and a kg of it sells for $34,500. Almas is harvested exclusively in Iran from a very rare albino sturgeon that is between 60 to 100 years old. Since this species is endangered; bringing or eating Almas in the United States is illegal.
On to More Fun Things … Slluurrrp!
Patrick ‘Deep Dish’ Bertoletti loves breaking world records; in fact, he calls himself a professional championship eater. We didn’t even know it could be a profession!
Well, this one time, he drank an entire 22-oz 7-Eleven Slurpee in just nine seconds. We don’t know what flavor it was, but that must’ve one helluva brain freeze afterward.
Interestingly enough Patrick claims that he can eat absolutely anything, his YouTube channel features a video of him eating play dough as well
Classy, Costly Cocktails
The finest spirits are known to mankind and garnished with ice and a slice, this drink is certainly one of a kind! Everyone knows those $20 cocktails that can be ordered at any bar, but would you spend $100 on a drink? How about $1000? Well, this is the world’s most expensive cocktail ‘The Winston’ at a mere $12,916.
Joel Heffernan had the honor of making this special concoction at Club 23 in Melbourne, Australia. The secret ingredient? 60ml of 1858 ‘Cuvee Leonie’ Cognac, which just happens to be the most expensive cognac, sold at an auction. This rare and vintage spirit lends itself well to ‘The Winston,’ making it a truly unique drink of its kind.
The Twinkies World Record
The manufacturers of the iconic U.S. snack Twinkies announced in 2012 that the company is going out of business. Thus began a nationwide ‘Save the Twinkies’ campaign that was spearheaded by US talk show host Wendy Williams.
To drive her point across, Wendy called on the skilled eater Takeru Kobayashi. The speed eating legend did what he does best. He set a new record for eating the most Twinkies in one minute. The Japanese youngster scoffed down 14 of the cream-filled sponge cake monstrosities in one go, setting a new record.
The Kale World Record
Just when you think that you have seen and heard it all, there comes the world’s first Kale eating championship. 10 hopeful eaters gathered on June 10th, 2016, at Taste of Buffalo food festival, Western New York. They were given 16-ounce bowls of the super bitter superfood, lightly dressed with vinegar, salt, and olive oil. The challenge was to eat as much as possible in under eight minutes.
Gideon ‘The Truth’ Oji was later declared the winner of a cool $2000 and the record for eating the most Kale. He consumed 25 and a half bowls of kale in the allotted time of eight minutes. That’s more than of ALL the contest kale!
This Woman Loves Her Wings!
What do you usually eat for breakfast? Some milk and cereal? Probably an egg sandwich or a breakfast burrito? Well, Ms. Molly Schuyler spent the morning of February 2nd, 2018, breaking the world record for eating the most number of chicken wings.
The competitive eater was in Philadelphia at the annual Wing Bowl (yes, it’s a thing!) that day. She set a brand new record by eating 501 chicken wings in half an hour. The runner up was only down 396 wings by the time Molly was done. So it wasn’t much of a competition. This was the first time in the Wing Bowl’s 26-year history that anyone has ever gotten beyond 500 wings.
The Butter-Eating Bizarro
Food records are a gift that keeps on giving! A few years ago, a man named Kevin Strahle, aka the LA Beast, broke the record for eating the highest number of butter sticks in the shortest possible time. Why is this even a category?
Anyways, so he ate eight quarter-pound sticks of salted butter in three minutes and 16 seconds. Kevin used to be a delivery guy for Pepsi, but then he slipped (probably on butter!) and broke his toe. In his idleness, he came up with the plan to smash as many world records as possible. After showing off his butter-eating prowess, Kevin also went after peanut butter and chicken nuggets.
How Long Will It Take You to Eat 12 Hamburgers?
They call him the Godfather of Competitive Eating. Japanese Takeru Kobayashi is a force to be reckoned with, as the folks at Guinness World Records found out.
On July 11, 2014, Kobayashi was featured in an Italian TV show called “Lo Show Dei Record.” This is where he was to break one of the world’s most impossible records ever. In a truly awe-inspiring feat, Kobayashi ate 12 hamburgers, all within 3 minutes flat. Mayonnaise was his condiment of choice for all 12 sandwiches.
Don’t Keep the Black Widow from Her Cheesecake
Now here’s a competition most of us would love to try our luck at. Eating cheesecake. But know that if you are going up against the Black Widow, you aren’t winning it. Sonya Thomas, aka Black Widow, aka ‘The Leader of the Four Horsemen of the Esophagus,’ is revered and feared because she can quickly out-eat mean four or five times her size.
She weighs a mere 105 pounds, so it was surprising to see her eat 11 pounds of Downtown Atlantic cheesecake in only 9 minutes. But since it’s known as the fluffiest and easiest cheesecake to eat, we are sure this must be one of Sonya’s most comfortable wins. Delicious!
This Milkshake Brings… Everyone to the Bank!
On June 1st, 2018, New York restaurant Serendipity 3 added the world’s most expensive milkshake to its menu. It’s sold for $100 for one serving, and it seems like the elements are well worth that amount.
Chef Joe Calderone hand-selected all of its ingredients. These included Le Cremose Baldizzone made from Venezuelan cocoa and fresh donkey’s milk, Luxardo Gourmet Maraschino Cherries straight from Italy, Jersey milk from cows bred in the Channel Islands, and 23 karats edible gold. The shake is served in a glass coated with 3000 Swarovski crystals.
How About Some Cheese, Please?
If you like cheese of all kinds, in large quantities, you will love this record! More than 60 people came together to create the world’s Largest Cheese Board. The event was hosted by the Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, in Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
On August 16, 2018, a very impressive 35ft white oak board was outfitted with 154 varieties of cheese on it. One of these was a giant wheel of cheddar that alone weighed 2,060 pounds. Once all the requirements of Guinness World Records were fulfilled, and the organizers were sure they had bagged the record for the largest cheeseboard ever, they divided up their giant one into 2000 smaller cheese boards and handed them out to the lucky visitors.
Teenage Mutant Cheezy Pizza
In 2014 when Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was released, the world was reminded of the turtles’ love for 99-cheese pizza. Australian Chef Johnny Di Francesco wanted to give us something even better… and that’s how the 154 cheese pizza was born.
In September of 2018, he baked a variety of classic and specialty cheeses, such as Comté, mozzarella, pecorino, Taleggio, aged cheddar, Gouda, Emmental, red Leicester, and Raclette de Chèvre onto his creation. It happened at his restaurant, called the 400 Gardi, in Melbourne, Australia.
Most Baby Food Eaten in a Minute
We are going back to the weirdness it seems. So remember the guy who gulped down peanut butter by the grams? Well, he has another record of this name. Andre Ortolf ate an impressive yet stomach-turning amount of baby food on 22nd February 2018.
He ate 1,050 g or 2lb 5 oz. of soft, mushy, gooey human baby food in 1 minute flat, breaking his record from two years ago. On the same day, he also attempted to break the record for the most mustard eaten in 30 seconds. What a mix!
Brussel Sprouts for Balance
Alright, let’s get back to healthy food records. Brussel Sprouts are sort of universally hated for the fact that they taste weird… and make people fart. So it came as a surprise to us that the veggie is quite famous in the world of competitive eating. Guinness World Records has some stringent rules for the 1-minute eating competition.
Linus Urbanec from Sweden set the world record by eating 3 Brussel Sprouts in one minute on November 26, 2008. He did it with a cocktail stick, spiking one sprout at a time for eating, according to the rules of the competition.