A new survey has revealed which UK town can handle the hottest curries.
The research, carried out by Boom Kitchen last month, questioned 5,000 food -loving Brits.
And it found that those who are from Middlesborough can stomach the hottest curries.
In fact, a staggering 30% of those from the North East town said they regularly devour eye-watering curries such as vindaloos, compared to a national average of just 16%.
Folks from Blackpool came a close second with 29% admitting they would always choose a vindaloo, or something hotter.
And in third place was Canterbury, where 28% enjoy the tongue-tingling delights of a fiery dish.
However, the poll also revealed a list of places where people’s palates are more on the delicate side.
And Gloucester was voted the ‘coolest’ city when it comes to the curry stakes, where 32% of residents would always opt for a creamy korma, compared to a national average of just 18%.
In second place was Wolverhampton, where 27% prefer a mild, creamy curry, and Bournemouth was in third place (26%).
Top ten UK curry hot spots
- Middlesbrough – 30% (can handle a vindaloo or hotter)
- Blackpool – 29%
- Canterbury 28%
- Dundee – 27%
- Liverpool – 26%
- Lancaster – 25%
- Leicester – 25%
- York – 24%
- Salisbury – 23%
- Bristol – 22%
Top 10 UK curry lightweights
- Gloucester – 32% (cannot handle anything hotter than a korma)
- Wolverhampton – 27%
- Bournemouth – 26%
- Worcester – 26%
- Maidstone – 26%
- Croydon – 25%
- Guildford – 24%
- Belfast – 24%
- Milton Keynes – 24%
- Southampton – 23%
The study found that, overall, there are almost the same number of hot vindaloo lovers (16%) as there are creamy korma fans (18%).
James Doel, co- founder of DIY curry kit company, Boom Kitchen said: “Super-hot curries used to be for the hardcore, but they are actually now just as popular as milder curry dishes.
“We try and encourage people to experiment with the flavours and heat you can get from different types of chillies such as the Naga chilli.
“It’s all very well loading your curry up with chilli powder, but that tends to just melt your mouth off and doesn’t really add much flavour.”
The study also found that almost HALF (46%) of us claim to be cooking more curries from scratch, while 18% of Brits are buying more takeaway curries than ever before,
And more than a fifth have expanded their repertoire of recipes over lockdown to include curry dishes.