### Phaal Curry
England — A dark red stew so ferociously spicy that chefs sometimes wear gas masks just to safely cook it.
Phaal is a thick, tomato-based stew widely considered the hottest curry on Earth. It is viciously dark red, smells of pure incineration, and triggers immediate, heavy sweating and a severe burning sensation in the mouth and throat.
How It's Made
Chefs start with a standard base of tomatoes, ginger, garlic, fennel seeds, cumin, and coriander. Then, they load the pot with up to ten different types of the world's most aggressive chili peppers, including Habaneros, Scotch Bonnets, and the legendary Ghost Pepper (over 1 million Scoville Heat Units). The capsaicin fumes are so intense that cooks sometimes wear literal gas masks and goggles to protect their eyes and lungs while stirring!
The Story
Surprisingly, the world’s spiciest curry was not invented in India—it was born in Birmingham, England, in the 1970s. Bangladeshi immigrants had opened highly successful curry houses across Britain, and local patrons developed a macho culture of demanding hotter and hotter dishes after a night out at the pub. Tired of simply adding more chili powder to their standard Vindaloo, these brilliant chefs decided to invent a definitive answer to the challenge. They created the Phaal, a uniquely British-Asian masterpiece designed to push thrill-seekers to their absolute physical limits.