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Don't worry, this isn't another warning about global warming. It's just the findings of some globally significant research undertaken by Nando's which you may find...well, warming.
The fact is Brits are cranking up the temperature - and we don't mean the central heating - a third of us are now consuming chilli, in one form or another, at least once a week. This makes a myth of the notion that the British palate favours the bland.
We're pleased to announce during National Chilli Week that, as a nation, we're eating far more of the hot peppery stuff than we did 10 years ago. The statistics show that a massive 98% of us now add spice to our food regularly while a measly 2% of us are cold fish who steer clear of spicy food altogether.
When enlightened about chilli's alleged aphrodisiac properties, nearly half of those asked said they'd use it to spice up their love life. Both sexes were equally keen to get hot under the collar and put some pepper-powered pep into their bedroom activity.
Our love affair with the chilli has been monitored by Nando's chilli buyer Michael Plummer who said "In the past year alone we have seen consumers charge up the heat scale... orders for our Extra Hot Chicken have risen by over a third with our milder Lemon & Herb baste reducing slightly in popularity... it seems that if people fancy a bit of spice, they go the whole hog... no half measures on the PERi-o-meter here!"
Adding fuel to the chilli fire are the numbers of celebrities frequenting Nando's for a PERi-PERi fix: JLS, Dizzee Rascal and Pixie Lott all profess a burning desire for spicy chicken; the inhabitants of the X-Factor house use it to warm up their performances and Denise Van Outen is seduced by the extra kick (nudge nudge) it gives her.
To summarise then, Britain's chilli passion is growing, most of us like a bit at least once a week and it seems our tongues are teflon coated! |
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When African locals introduced the Bird's Eye Chilli to Portuguese explorers way back when, they called it pilli-pilli (Swahili for pepper pepper - obviously so peppery they named it twice) and this eventually became peri-peri. |
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Contrary to popular belief the hottest part of the chilli isn't the seeds - it's the white pith that surrounds them and runs through the pods. Honestly - we're not taking the pith! |
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The best way to relieve the chilli-induced burning sensation is by drinking milk or placing a spoonful of yogurt in your mouth. Water only spreads the capsaicin around. Blowing out candles in this state isn't recommended either. |
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Chillies are reputed to help fight off colds. The endorphins they release certainly lift the spirits. |
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Chillies are packed with vitamins and can help reduce cholesterol. |
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Capsaicin, which gives chillies their fieriness, is an effective painkiller that blocks pain signals to the brain. A case of out of the frying pan into the fire? |
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The alkaloids from the capsaicin improve the digestion process. We won't go into too much detail here... |
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There are around 400 varieties of chilli and is now one of the most widely grown crops. |
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