Ready, Steady, SOY! Nearly 400 Competitors Join Japan's Edamame Speed-Eating Championship

Hundreds Race Against Time

Nearly 400 competitors raced against the clock at the Ninth World Edamame Speed-Eating Championship in Nagaoka, in Japan’s Niigata Prefecture, on Saturday.Footage shows contestants rapidly squeezing locally grown edamame from their pods and eating them as spectators cheer. Many donned bright green costumes in honour of Niigata, Japan’s ‘Edamame Kingdom’.

“The adrenaline was really pumping – the moment I found out we’d made the final, I actually shouted ‘Wow!’ – but I’m really enjoying the experience,” competitor Kanna Nakashizuka said.“The three of us worked together as a team to eat quickly and have fun. We really enjoyed it,” fellow participant Sato said.

Celebrating Farmers And Food

The event was organised by a committee of local farmers to raise the profile of Nagaoka edamame.“What makes it a bit unique is the emphasis on eating with a sense of appreciation for the food. The event highlights the importance of being grateful to the farmers and to the food itself;

consequently, leaving food uneaten or dropping it results in a deduction from the competitor’s total weight score,” Executive Committee Chairperson Ken Oshima stated.Individual contestants and three person teams were given 100 seconds to consume as many beans as they could. Dropped or uneaten food brought weight penalties, forcing contestants to balance speed with accuracy.

What Makes Niigata Edamame Special

“Niigata edamame are a bit different from other varieties. Typically, edamame are harvested when the beans are fully plump,” Oshima said.

“Instead, they are harvested when they are about 70 to 80 percent mature. The goal is to enjoy them at the stage where the umami is intensely concentrated within the bean itself.”

Young local farmers launched the annual championship in 2016, turning Nagaoka’s deep rooted edamame-eating culture into a public celebration of the region’s produce.

Article by Viory