Face-First Into Tradition: The Cultural Origins of Competitive Pie Eating

Among the many wonderful things from Toronto, we have them to thank for the first recorded pie-eating contest. It took place in 1878 as a charity fundraising event and was won by Albert Piddington, whose prize was a “handsomely” bound book. Newspapers across the United States covered the event, describing this unorthodox form of "the latest new entertainment."

The choice of pies made perfect sense. Pies were cheap and popular foods for nineteenth-century Americans and Canadians. They were readily available and messy enough to provide entertainment value for spectators. They captured public imagination as a novel form of entertainment that combined competition with comedy.

Here’s a little pie-fact - originally pie-eating contests were called “pie-eating tournaments,” How about that? 

Following that first Toronto contest, pie-eating competitions became popular at county fairs, community events, and fundraisers throughout North America. They became part of the broader tradition of competitive eating that would eventually evolve into the organized events we see.

The pie-eating contest represents one of the earliest forms of organized competitive eating, predating the famous Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest by decades. Today, pie-eating contests remain popular at local festivals and fairs. They serve the same purposes they did in 1878: raising money for good causes, bringing communities together, and providing messy, lighthearted entertainment that makes people laugh.

Oh, one more thing. There are two recorded deaths during pie eating contests. Even lighthearted entertainment comes at a price.