With the World Black Pudding Throwing Championship being held next month in Ramsbottom, I thought I’d share a couple of the really interesting things I found out about our local history and our famous Black Puddings.
Although I personally don’t like black pudding I think there’s something about it that is so deeply embedded into our local history that if you live in Bury you would have to be a hermit not to have come across it. So the black pudding doesn’t really matter- it’s what it represents to the people of Bury and how it has come to be a part of our local culture. After all, we do make the best black puddings; you only have to visit Bury Market to know that.
So where did this bizarre black pudding throwing come from? It dates from as far back as the 1850s and it’s a celebration of the longstanding rivalry between Lancashire and Yorkshire. As the story goes, during the Wars of the Roses, raiders from Yorkshire were attacking our borders and we ran out of ammunition, so we started throwing food instead!
The World Black Pudding Throwing Championships has a simple rule: knock down as many Yorkshire puddings as you can. You get three 6oz black puddings to attempt this, and puddings must be thrown underarm.
Oh, and if you’re wondering what black pudding actually consists of you might wish you never asked – cooked pig blood, fat and rusk, all encased in a length of intestine. Nice.
If you want to find out more information about the World Black Pudding Throwing Championships, please see our events page!
