Edinburgh named Scotland's Curry Capital of the Year 2024

Edinburgh Evening News

Councillor Robert Aldridge, the Lord Provost of Edinburgh was present at a special ceremony in Edinburgh’s City Chambers this week where he accepted an award naming Edinburgh as Scotland’s Curry Capital.

Transcript

00:00We're also a world hub for culture, not just because we're home to the globally renowned

00:06festivals, but also because we celebrate the rich traditions of our diverse city with faith-based

00:14festivals, community festivals, neighbourhood and civil society events, and the achievements

00:20of our active citizens. And as we've returned after the pandemic to the usual colour-filled

00:27musical rhythms of the city, our local, our national and our international visitors and

00:33students have come back in droves. This means that our famous hospitality and traditional

00:41fare is now back to full strength. And of course, by famous hospitality and traditional fare,

00:46I don't just mean whisky and haggis. It of course also includes our fantastic multicultural flavours,

00:56tastes and aromas. So I'm absolutely chuffed to bits to hear that at the 16th Scottish Curry

01:04Awards last month, Edinburgh was named as Curry Capital of Scotland, and we're here to receive

01:12that award later today. Absolutely delighted about that. And it was also superb to hear that six

01:19Edinburgh curry restaurants also received recognition. Now these Curry Awards spotlight

01:26Scotland's rich and diverse curry tastes and encourages the continued growth and evolution

01:32of the industry. Winning this national award acknowledges the very high quality of curry

01:39restaurants right across Edinburgh, and that our curry producers contribute to making Edinburgh

01:46a culinary hotspot. I was hearing about an excellent restaurant I'm going to come and visit shortly.

01:54I understand that in the last five years alone, there's been more curry restaurants opening in

02:00Edinburgh than anywhere else, especially since we've come out of the pandemic, and currently

02:05there are around 200 curry restaurants across Edinburgh, offering an amazing diversity and

02:12selection for our citizens, workers and visitors. And it's not just the traditional curries, it's

02:17also experiments with the new industry, which is absolutely tremendous. And it's the quality

02:25of these restaurants which is attracting a new and a more diverse clientele with different themes

02:32and extensive menus. So I think the curry sector can only grow as Edinburgh continues to be a

02:38leading hub for international visitors and transnational students and so on. And so on

02:44behalf of the people of Edinburgh and importantly those in the city who work within Edinburgh's

02:50curry scene, I will shortly be very pleased to accept the Scottish Curry Capital Award. It's a

02:59fantastic recognition of the talent, the dedication and the imagination of our curry chefs, and a

03:07reflection of the diverse cultures and traditions in the city. Now clearly, restaurants in Edinburgh

03:15have distinguished yourselves with your exceptional quality, your innovation and your consistency

03:23in offering a truly memorable dining experience. And I know that chefs and staff will continue to

03:30work tirelessly to keep the city's curry reputation alive. We've got to keep winning this.

03:35So to the Scottish Curry Capital Award organisers and decision makers, I'm very grateful to you that

03:42you've chosen our great city for this fantastic award. And I'm sure, absolutely confident that

03:49our curry creators will live up to the status of the award and that the sector will continue to

03:56deliver high quality products and new mouth-watering, flavoursome and tempting menu options for us all

04:03to sample and put for the future. And myself in particular this evening, got my appetite waiting.

04:09So thank you very much indeed. Thank you.

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