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In
recent days, the media has been awash with reports about the
"World's Hottest Curry" and celebrities from Jonothan Ross
to Chris Evans have put their taste buds on the line to try out the
fiery concoctions.
For many years the "Curry
Hell" produced by the late Abdul Latif in Newcastle laid claim
to the title until recently when Chef Vivek Singh from the
fashionable Cinnamon Club in London, produced his "Bollywood
Burner" and claimed it as the world's hottest, the fiery
ingredient being Dorset Naga chillies.
Not to be outdone, The Chilli
Company has now come up with "Satan's Ashes" to challenge
both the others weighing in with the lip melting Naga Morich chilli
to achieve the desired results.
With these three already claiming
the title, organisers of National Curry Week have challenged their
makers to go head to head in their "Can You Handle the Heat"
competition sponsored by Fox's XXXMints. All three have accepted the challenge.
"We are looking for a fiery
dish that is edible and enjoyable for those with the courage and
fortitude to try it," said organiser Peter Grove. "We are
definitely not looking for a dish to put people in the toilet or even
worse, the hospital and that is why some of the best Indian chefs in
the country are taking the challenge very seriously."
"The Bollywood Burner",
"Satan's Ashes" and Rukon Latif's "Curry Hell"
will be joined by offerings from other top chefs such as Udit Sarkhel
of Mango & Silk and ex of Bombay Brasserie and award-winning chef
Chad Rahman of Mumtaj in St Albans.
Until recently the Red Savina was
quoted as the hottest chilli in the world at 570,000 SHUs (Scoville
Heat Units), which compared with Scotch Bonnets at 325,000 SHUs and
Jalapenos at just 8,000.
Vivek Singh upped the ante by
using the Dorset Naga from Bangladesh developed by Joy and Michael
Michaud at 923,000 SHUs. Gerald Fowler and his Chilli Pepper Company
went one better by using the Naga Morich rated just above the Dorset Naga.
Can it get any hotter? It
certainly can. Dr Paul Bosland recently grew the Bhut Jolokia Chilli
in New Mexico and claimed a new world record at 1,001,304 SHUs
followed by Frontal Agritech of Assam who claim the same chilli at
1,041,427 SHUs requiring the use of gloves, masks and protective
clothing. Even that is not the end of the story. Warwick University
recently claimed a Bangladesh Naga Morich measuring 1,598,227 SHUs
and one shudders to think the intestinal collapse that would cause.
The
XXXMints "Can You Handle the Heat" battle of the chillies
will take place at Excel in London Docklands 26/27 November 2008
during World Food Market as part of National Curry Week (23-29
November) (www.nationalcurryweek.co.uk)
which this year is raising funds for Oxfam.
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