We were filled with discomfort when we learned of the world's hottest peanut butter, what's likely the world's hottest burger and even a soup so spicy it burned a hole in a man's stomach, but new reports of a U.K. doctor taking down the world's hottest curry has us squirming in our seats.
Consultant radiologist Ian Rothwell, a 55-year-old daredevil whose resume includes scaling Mount Kilimanjaro last year, ordered up a curry called "The Widower" at Bindi restaurant in Grantham, England. The dish is made with 20 Naga Infinity chilis, packs more than 6 million Scoville units and is so spicy that chefs preparing it wear goggles and a face mask.
Bindi's managing director and executive chef, Muhammed Karim, said that Rothwell took about an hour to polish off his plate, but that included a 10 minute walk outside during which he allegedly began hallucinating. Still, Rothwell's accomplishment is considerable -- he's the first of about 300 people to attempt "The Widower" and succeed.
Karim was full of praise for Rothwell:
Apart from spotting a few tears in his eyes, and the short period of hallucinating, he was cool and collected and seemed to cope very well. I have tried The Widower and it really is a killer. ... Dr Rothwell is a legend as far as I'm concerned.
Amazingly, Rothwell said that he felt relatively normal the following day, according to local website Grantham People. "I can confirm it was a little uncomfortable, but nothing terrible," he said.
The Daily Mail posted a video of the event, filmed by Rothwell's daughter, which shows Rothwell calm and composed. Watch it below.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this article stated that the chilis each packed 6 million Scoville units, when in fact that figure describes the spice level of the whole dish.