Yorkshire folk like to spice up their lives by eating some of the fieriest curries.
A poll found 61% of diners in God’s Own Country reckon they could handle a dish with a “three chillis” rating, like a vindaloo.
But those in the East of England are most likely to play curries safe – with just 42% turning up the heat. The Scoville Scale, which measures the heat of chillis and other substances, was invented by US pharmacist Walter Scoville in 1912.
The three-chillis rating equals 50,000 Scoville Heat Units, while the UK’s hottest curry is the phaal – rated at up to a million SHU.
Some diners brave enough to try it reported hallucinating – and some needed hospital treatment.
Rita Porter, 45, of Keighley, West Yorks, said: “I used to hate any-thing with a bit of spice but over the last 20 years I’ve built myself up to love it. I even went as far as trying a Ghost Pepper, which is up to a million SHU, but that was far too much for me. I actually thought about calling 999.”
Lord Karan Bilimoria, whose Cobra beer firm commissioned the poll, said: “Our findings show Brits have a love of spice.”
Curries were introduced to Britain in the 18th century. There are now 12,000 Indian restaurants with Bradford, West Yorks, voted the curry capital six years in a row.
