In the township of Umlazi, in Durban, South Africa, a new world record has been set for the most chicken feet eaten in one minute.
Vuyolwethu Simanile consumed 121 g (4.26 oz) of chicken feet in 60 seconds, becoming the first person to achieve this Guinness World Records title.
Vuyo competed against four of her colleagues from Mashamplanes Lounge, a shisa nyama restaurant and bar.
Shisa nyama is a Zulu phrase which translates to "burn meat", referring to the way the meat is cooked over open flamed coals.
However, shisa nyama is about more than just grilling meat – it’s about bringing people together in a welcoming, communal hub; it’s about eating, drinking and dancing together; it’s about friendship and soul.
Thus, there was no better place to find a record holder for this newly-created title than Mashamplanes, which is famous for its spicy chicken feet.
The record attempt was featured on episode one of Stumbo Record Breakers, a new show on e.tv that discovers the extraordinary, extreme and exceptional talents of South Africans.
Before the beginning of the official attempt, adjudicator Sofia Greenacre served 300 g (10.5 oz) of chicken feet onto each of the participants’ plates.
To achieve this record, only one chicken foot is allowed to be eaten at a time – picking up and eating multiple feet results in disqualification.
As the airhorn sounded to signal the start of the attempt, 60 seconds of intense chewing commenced.
Each challenger used a slightly different strategy; some chose to stuff their faces as quickly as possible, whilst others opted for a more methodical approach.
Vuyo's calm efficiency flew under the radar as she polished off bone after bone. Those that started at a fast pace soon slowed down as they struggled to work through the gelatin-like texture.
At the end, each plate was weighed with any remaining feet on top to calculate how much had been consumed.
This record is not measured by the number of whole chicken feet eaten, but rather it is measured by grams consumed. One chicken foot weighs around 35 g (1.2 oz)
A minimum of 110 g (3.8 oz) was required to be eaten in order to be considered record-worthy.
While awaiting official adjudicator Sofia’s verdict, the Stumbo Record Breakers presenters, Carla Classen and Thapelo Motloung, highlighted three of the challengers as potential winners. However, none of their predictions turned out to be correct. In fact, only one challenger had met the minimum requirement.
To everyone’s surprise – including her own – Vuyo was declared to have set a new world record for the most chicken feet eaten in one minute.
Consuming 121 g (4.26 oz) in total, she ate nearly twice the amount of chicken feet as everyone else.
"Vuyo beat the other participants by some margin. She was the most unassuming and quiet of all participants so it was really touching to see her achieve this title." – Sofia Greenacre, Guinness World Records official adjudicator
Upon hearing that she had set the record, Vuyo was overcome with emotion.
"I don’t believe it," were the only words she was able to muster while being presented with her Guinness World Records certificate.
Sofia, who has adjudicated many speed eating records before, said, "it’s going to be really exciting to see where this goes, if it gets beaten."
"Speed eaters across the world are very competitive and will jump on any new records that appear, but I think this one is going to be tough to beat."
You can watch new episodes of Stumbo Record Breakers every Sunday on e.tv
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