Like so much of the best cuisine found in Britain, chilli and its associated eating contests may not be native to the UK, but are winning fans by the day.
Enter two acclaimed titans of the chilli eating world, who will grace Cheam later this month with their presence and a heavyweight clash for the ages.
'The Scream in Cheam', as it has been dubbed, will see Cameron 'The Cannon' Grennan, multi-time chilli-eating champion face off against Shahina Zeenat Waseem, proclaimed 'World Chilli-Eating Champ' who boasts some 84 competition wins.
The pair are ranked 1st (Shahina) and 2nd (Cameron) in organisers League of Fire's standings at present, so the clash is being billed as a match for the ages.
"We are very proud to bring you the breaking announcement of the League Of Fire - Chilli Eating Champions World Title Belt Match taking place on September 12th, 2021, at FeastyFest in Cheam, Surrey, UK," a spokesperson for the event said.
"The duel will be the Chilli Queen vs multiple times chilli-eating champion, Cameron 'The Cannon' Grennan.
"Please follow FeastyFest and League Of Fire - Chilli Eating Champions on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up-to-date with how and when to watch if you are watching online from around the world. Of course, if you are fairly local, then you can witness this epic match in person at the festival."
I just uploaded a new #chillieating contest to my YouTube channel! 💥#ukchilliqueen #leagueoffire #chilipeppers #carolinareaper #peppers #foodie
— UK Chilli Queen (@ukchilliqueen) August 31, 2021
Here is the link👇https://t.co/ZjNmP2rYhl pic.twitter.com/MdHYlekM2L
Chilli eating contests were popularized in the US, and even feature in a notable episode of The Simpsons, but have since gained fans in the UK.
According to League of Fire, the contest in Cheam will see Cameron and Shahina face on as follows:
"There will always be many rounds, you will always start with mild chilli pods, sauces or edible products and gradually advance through the rounds, with the heat level of the food increasing more and more until the pain becomes unbearable. Most often, the contest will consist of mainly fresh chilli pods and some dried pods. Sometimes there will be a spoonful of a hot sauce or two.
"No liquid relief is to be consumed during the entirety of the contest. And no vomiting or cheating! Each chilli or sauce or whatever the round offers, whatever it may be, it must be finished completely; if it is a chilli pepper, it should be eaten all the way to the stalk!"
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