Northerners are harder than southerners in relation to loving spicy meals
Forget football, accents or gravy, the North-South divide has a new battleground – who can handle their heat the best. And a poll has found northerners are better
Northerners are tougher, the poll found(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Northerners are officially tougher when it comes to handling spicy grub, according to a new nationwide study. Forget football, accents or gravy, the North-South divide has a new battleground – who can handle their heat.
And it appears that northerners are officially harder when it comes to spicy food than their southern counterparts, according to a nationwide poll. Overall, half of those up North claim they “love” spicy food, compared with just 40% of southerners.
While almost a quarter of northerners (23%) reckon they are “very good” at handling very hot food, versus just 14% down south. And according to the data, six in ten (59%) northerners even pile extra hot sauce and chilli onto their food, after ordering the hottest dish on the menu.
How we handle our heat depends on where we live, the research suggests(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
And 52% of northerners feel “extremely confident” they could win a hot wing eating competition. Southerners appear rather less brave, with just 45% adding extra spice – and only 39% confident they could triumph in a hot wing showdown.
Overall, Manchester (74%) emerged as the spice-loving capital, followed by Sheffield (72%), Birmingham (70%), Leeds (68%) and Liverpool (67%). In fact, no southern city made the top 10 heat loving cities, according to the study commissioned by fast food chain Wingstop.
The findings were released to coincide with the launch of Wingstop UKI’s new Hot Honey and Hot Honey Sriracha range.
Chris Sherriff, of Wingstop, said: “I have to admit, I was surprised to see Birmingham only come third. Growing up enjoying plenty of spice, I’d have backed Brum to take the top spot.
“Clearly, there’s some healthy competition out there. Our new Hot Honey Sriracha turns things up a notch, bringing together sweet honey and a proper Sriracha kick. We’ve had a lot of fun with this one, and we can’t wait to hear what fans think.”
