Why Brits are so hot for curry

Thanks to chicken tikka masala, steak and kidney pie had its chips as Britain's favourite dish long ago. But until now, exactly why curries are so irresistible has remained a mystery.

The answer, according to scientists, has nothing to do with having too many pints of lager. We have, they say, become physically addicted to the effects of curry on the body and brain.

Research shows that curry stimulates parts of the tongue other foods simply can't reach. And its taste sends blood pressure and heart rates shooting up, creating a natural 'high'.

Even the thought of a curry is enough to trigger excited biological responses, says Professor Stephen Gray, a senior reseach fellow at Nottingham Trent University. 'We see an increase in blood pressure and heart rate that's similar to sexual arousal,' said the professor, whose research - commissioned by Indian food firm Sharwood's - evaluated the physical impact of 50 years of British curry-eating.

'We were very surprised to pick up these effects. They certainly help explain how curry has become the nation's most popular dish.'

Professor Gray recruited 100 volunteers aged between ten and 80. Some were 'curryholics' while others said they never touched Indian food. They sampled traditional British fare, a tomato and vegetable casserole, and three grades of curry - korma, tikka masala and rogan josh. Overall, curry fans were stimulated most by their favourite Indian, regardless of how hot it was.

The hottest curries were more popular with older males. Scientists say that, with age, we become more tolerant of spicy flavours and need ever-hotter meals to attain the same level of stimulation.

'Older men said they preferred the rogan josh, the hottest curry, and showed the most physical responses to them,' said Professor Gray. 'But others who said they preferred milder dishes responded most to those, so we weren't simply seeing a physiological side-effect of the heat of the dish.'

Overall, when volunteers were expecting a traditional meal, their blood pressure went up 1.8 per cent and heart rate 3.2 per cent. For a korma it rises 2.3 and 4.9 per cent respectively, for a tikka masala 4.9 and 4.4 per cent and for a rogan josh 3.9 and 6.7 per cent.

When fans of the hottest curry actually tucked in, their blood pressure rose by 3.8 per cent but their heart rate increased by a massive 18.3 per cent.