The love of summer curries in Japan

When I first noticed people eating steaming bowls of curry in the middle of a Japanese summer, I have to admit that I didn't quite get it. Surely the last thing you want when it's 35°C outside is a plate of hot, spicy food? In my home country, curries of various descriptions (Indian, Thai, and so forth) are popular, but I really think they're seen as winter warmers rather than summer dishes.

However, summer curry is actually a thing in Japan, and there is some logic behind it. Spicy food can make you sweat, and as we all know, sweating is one of the body's natural ways of cooling itself down. Even though eating a hot curry might make you feel even warmer at first, the idea is that the resulting sweat can help cool you down.

Japanese food companies even release "summer curry" products, often with extra spice and lighter, fresher flavors designed specifically for the warmer months. Coco Ichibanya has a few on their menu at the moment!