Birmingham is the Curry Capital of the UK. One visit to the city’s Balti Triangle and you’ll see why.

What’s the national dish of England? Is it fish and chips or shepherd’s pie?If you were to take a quick survey around the nation, you’ll most likely discover that the humble curry is the country’s favorite dish.

The variety of curry dishes is enough to send a gourmand into flavour heaven, but in Birmingham one dish stands head and shoulders above the rest. Welcome to the home of the mighty Balti: Birmingham’s Balti Triangle. The Balti Triangle consists of about 50 restaurants clustered around the Sparkbrook, Balsall Heath and Moseley areas of South Birmingham.The Balti is king here, and it’s easy to see why.

The word balti literally means “bucket”, but a balti is actually the flat-bottomed wok that this particular curry is cooked and served in (usually still sizzling-hot).It’s no use asking a restaurant for their recipe, as they’re a closely-guarded secret in and around the Triangle, but typical spices include cloves, cumin, ginger, coriander and cardamom.One of the must-haves with a balti is one of the giant naans the Triangle is famous for. They’re sometimes as big as the table, so sharing is encouraged! It’s no wonder that the Balti Triangle was ranked Number 15 of the Top 25 Travel Experiences in Britain in the Rough Guide’s “25s” Series.

It’s believed that the balti originally came to Birmingham in the mid-1970′s and was introduced by the city’s large Pakistani and Kashmiri communities. It quickly became a local favourite, and then spread to surrounding regions and the rest of the nation. In fact, the balti curry is such an established part of Birmingham’s culture that balti bowls are now manufactured in the city.

Not only does the Balti Triangle offer a veritable smorgasbord of taste sensations, it also is the heart of a local economy that welcomes thousands of visitors each year, making it a multi-million pound industry.In addition, about 2000 kilograms of onions and 300 kilograms of chicken breast are used by a typical balti house in a week, which keeps many local suppliers in business.