Charlie Chaplin's Favorite Spicy Food Was A True Classic

English comedic actor and director Charlie Chaplin starred in both silent films and talkies, such as "The Gold Rush" in 1925 and "The Great Dictator" in 1940. He was often depicted eating in his films, which might be due to his time spent as a child in workhouses with poor conditions and a lack of food. He is seen eating a frankfurter sandwich in "Pay Day," hotcakes in "The Kid," and a "leather shoe" (which was actually made from black licorice) in "The Gold Rush." While licorice does have a bite to it, there was another food with a kick that was Chaplin's favorite spicy dish: curry.

In England, where Chaplin spent his childhood, curry refers to any spicy, saucy dish from India with meat, fish, or vegetables accompanied by herbs and spices. Curry dishes are such a large part of English food culture because of the long history between the two countries. Beginning in the 1600s with the emergence of the East India Company, an English company that was involved in the East Indian spice trade, English traders would bring Indian recipes back to England so that they could enjoy the food from their travels at home. Chaplin's connection to this homeland cuisine never faded, as curry was the only spicy dish he would tolerate. He thought that the hotter it was, the better it was. 

Chaplin was known to dine at one of the best restaurants in Hollywood, the Musso & Frank Grill, and even helped fund Henry's, the first Hollywood restaurant to stay open after midnight. He was a regular customer there and especially enjoyed the lentil soup. Some of his other favorite meals included tripe and lamb stew, so it is understandable why he loved curry so much, as it is a soupy, stewy dish. Because of his fondness for the spicy sauce, he was a patron of London's first high-end Indian restaurant, Veeraswamy, which opened in 1926 on Regent Street. A menu from World War II shows main course options of lamb, pigeon, rabbit, or vegetable curry served over rice with mango chutney. There are many other types of curry, such as duck vindaloo, dak bungalow curry, and madras curry, which is extra fiery and might have been Chaplin's favorite.

While going out for a curry is always an immersive experience, making it at home allows for more customization. There are a few tips you need to make restaurant-quality Indian curries at home, such as having the correct cookware and marinating the ingredients. Most importantly, the heat level can always be adjusted depending on your taste, but remember, Chaplin liked it spicy.