The late Robin Cook, foreign secretary under Tony Blair, labelled chicken tikka masala the national dish of Britain.
Given that it would take 25 years of eating out every night at a different curry house - it is something of a misnomer to call them Indian restaurants - to exhaust what the United Kingdom has to offer, you can see his point.
The land of roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, toad-in-the-hole and fish and chips has long been seduced by the exotic tastes of the subcontinent.
From Land's End to John O'Groats, thousands pour into curry houses, which support close to 150,000 jobs, every night in search of flavour and sustenance.
Some go to "float a vindaloo" - the questionable, bottom-aching practice of getting sozzled before proving your masculinity by labouring through the hottest dish on the menu. Others will dine at the predominantly Bengali-owned restaurants because they are cheap and ubiquitous.
Whatever the motivation, you can't help but notice how inextricably entwined Britain and curry has become.
