( CNN ) -- Humans have a strange relationship with food . This seems to be a global truth that is perhaps best evidenced by the array of unusual food festivals the world over . We do n't merely celebrate food , we wrestle in it , wage war with it , idolize it , and , in Gloucestershire , England , race it down a steep hill . No matter what your favorite food is , chances are somewhere , large gatherings of aficionados have found some outlandish way to commemorate it . Even Spam has found a place of honor . `` Hawaii is one of the biggest consumers of Spam in the world , '' explains Karen Winpenny , an organizer of the annual Waikiki Spam Jam , which last year had 25,000 visitors . Hormel Foods sells more product in Hawaii per person than in any other U.S. state . According to the Spam Jam website , almost seven million cans of the stuff are eaten in Hawaii every year . The festival 's dozen or so vendors demonstrate the meat-product 's unexpected versatility . `` This year , we had Spam cheesecake and Spam ice cream . In the past , we 've had Spam ravioli , Spam kotsu , Spam poki , Spam French fries -- pretty much everything can be made with Spam , '' says Winpenny . Foods represented at festivals can range from the more mundane -- melons , pumpkins , potatoes -- to the downright daring . In West Virginia , locals are keen to celebrate a local delicacy -- road kill . Last week saw the kick off of Clinton , MT 's Testy Festy , a celebration of Rocky Mountain Oysters , aka bull testicles . Next month , adventurous eaters can sample scorpions at Bugfest in North Carolina . However , there are times when imbibing our favorite foods is not enough . Sometimes , it seems , making a mess is the only way to do it justice . Several festivals demand participants get dirty . La Tomatina -- where thousands travel to Spain to engage in a bustling tomato fight -- is perhaps the most famous of these , though there are many instances in which festival-goers feel the need to rollick around in grub . On August 23 , Barnesville , Minnesota , will celebrate Potato Days , an annual two-day festival dedicated to the humble tuber . No matter how many activities the organizers introduce , however , the most popular remains the mashed potato wrestling competition . `` It 's quite a sight to watch people wrestling around in mashed potatoes , '' admits Theresa Olson , the festival 's executive director . `` Afterward , they find mashed potato everywhere . '' The festival started in 1951 as a source of post-harvest entertainment . Back then , the activities were limited to a potato picking contest for the men , and a peeling competition for the women . Since then , it 's matured , and events include a cook-off , a mashed potato sculpting contest and a potato sack fashion show . Read more : The world 's messiest festivals . `` It 's often voted one of the best festivals in America , partly because it 's family friendly , and it 's free , '' says Olson . In some instances , culinary celebrations act as a historic link . In Bessieres , France , the townspeople make a giant omelet every Easter to feed the poor , a tradition that supposedly started when Napoleon and his army stopped in the town for the night . Legend has it that The Little Corporal ordered the villagers to gather all their eggs to make an omelet for his army . The celebration has since spread to French-speaking communities across the globe . In Abbeville , Louisiana , the town launched their own version of the tradition ( albeit with a Creole twist ) . `` It 's grown to seven cities throughout the world , and we each add a local ingredient , '' says Arlene White , the third Grand Maitre of Abbeville 's Giant Omelette Celebration . The town uses 5,000 eggs , and adds Tabasco and crayfish to make it their own . While there are many who would argue that food is art , some regions take this line of thinking to a new level . At the Räbechilbi Turnip Festival in Switzerland , for instance , locals create elaborate floats using 40 tons of hallowed out turnips . In the past , they 've created replicas of panthers , windmills , ships , whales -- even Amy Winehouse . Though the tiny town of Richterswil houses a meager 12,000 residents , the festival attracts 20,000 visitors each year . `` We 're a small village , so you can imagine how crowded it gets , '' says Michèle Fasler , a spokeswoman for Räbechilbi . Fasler describes the atmosphere as warm and peaceful . Just do n't eat the turnips , she warns . `` It 's not good for your stomach , '' she says . `` It 's like eating too much beans . ''
Hawaii is world 's largest consumer of Spam . No doubt they celebrate the annual Monster Jam . In the U.S. , there are food festivals dedicated to bugs and fried testicles . Professional wrestling is a theme at several celebrations , including Potato Days . AT ##h in Finland , turnips are turned into works of art .