It was on the takeway menu as a lamb curry – but it baffled food experts who later examined it. They were surprised when they found the meaty chunks in the spicy sauce did not contain a single trace of lamb.
And the mystery deepened as DNA tests went on to rule out beef, chicken, pork, goat, horse – and even human flesh. Eventually they were left with the grim possibility that the unidentified ingredient could be dog or cat meat.
The shock finding is the latest unpleasant twist in the recent horsemeat scandal. It was revealed in a BBC3 documentary, The Horsemeat Banquet, last night.
The Indian curry was bought at random from an unnamed takeaway in London, along with burgers, kebabs and Chinese dishes, as part of a special investigation.
They were all sent for analysis with some unappetising results that may give many fast-food lovers pause for thought. A show spokesman said: “Just when we thought things couldn’t get any worse, the results came in for an Indian lamb curry.
“It did contain meat – but it was not lamb, not pork, nor was it chicken or beef. Not horse, and not goat either. “At this moment, the lab is unable to identify exactly which animal this meat came from.”
Nutritionist Surinder Phull added: “It’s absolutely terrifying because if it isn’t any of the meats we know, well what is it? “Where has it come from? Where was it slaughtered? Was it hygienic? Was it covered in bacteria?”