Bradford folk may traditionally be made of stern stuff but when it comes to curry flavour they are a meeker sort.

The city is dubbed the curry capital of Britain but not many customers favour the fiery spices of the hottest dishes, it seems.

Rather than opting for a vicious vindaloo they tend to ask for the mildest dish of them all, the coconut korma which has replaced the chicken tikka masala as Bradford’s favourite curry.

Only three per cent of the district’s diners would dare to tackle the vindaloo let alone a Phaal – regarded as the hottest of them all, according to a new survey.

But the chances of hardened korma eaters giving up their favourite dish are slim, with nearly three quarters admitting they would never try a spicier option.

Indian chef Syima Mer Ali, who runs Markaz Restaurant and Shisha Lounge in Centenary Square, Bradford, said the findings should not be seen as criticism of the city’s curry lovers, who, she said, were a discerning lot.

As the Bradford and the north of England’s representative at the national finals of the South Asian Chef Competition 2008, she knows one or two things about the particular palate of Bradford customers.

She said: “Bradford is the curry capital of the UK and people here are better educated about Indian food.

“It’s moved from being a heat competition between groups of men over a few lagers. People are trying different flavours. We also do Arabic dishes which are very much about aromatic spices, not hot spices, and they’re very popular.”

But the restaurant does cater for the small hardcore of diners who went for the hottest meals on the menu.

“As well as having a choice of mild, medium and hot dishes, we do them Apna-style which is a hotter, traditional Indian style,” she said. Taz Azmi, an organiser of the South Asian Chef Competition, said tastes differed greatly, a view reaffirmed by a straw poll of Bradford workers conducted by the Telegraph & Argus yesterday.

She said: “If they asked the English community I would be inclined to agree. My experiences have been that they prefer milder curries.

“If they’d have asked me, I’d say the hotter dishes.”

Whether some like it hot or not, the research by Virgin Media Group shows that 46 per cent of people still regarded a curry as their favourite meal for a family night in front of the television.

e-mail: ben.barnett @telegraphandargus.co.uk