The culture of cultivating the hottest pepper in the world is almost as ancient and no less complex than growing grapes for wine. There are many varieties - different shapes, tastes and, of course, the degree of pungency. Some of them are so hot that dishes with their participation have to be cooked in special protective equipment.
It's amazing how someone in their right mind and sanity can wish to feel such a fire within themselves. However, there are amateurs, and there are many of them. The hottest varieties have long formed their fan clubs, the crops are covered in the relevant press, and people accustom their taste buds to the sensation of extra heat in order to enter the chosen circles.
Scoville pungency scale
We all know that hot peppers actually burn the tongue, but how much? This question is answered by a special scale of pungency (not one unit of measurement in the world has been so hot). Peppers are ranked according to her from "spicy" to "Oh no! I'm on fire now! And the furniture I'm sitting on, too! "
It was invented by Wilber Scoville, who, surprisingly, was not a cook, but a pharmacist.
- He came up with a very simple way to measure the pungency of a pepper, based on a person's ability to perceive a hot taste.
- The units of measure are the portions of water with sugar, which must be added to the same portion of the chili, so that the tester does not feel any warmth in his mouth at all.
- For example, one part of crushed Poblano pepper will require about 1500 parts of water so that a person does not even notice its presence in the solution.
But science does not stand still: scientists have come up with a high-tech analogue of the original Scoville method. They measure the amount of capsaicin in chili peppers using liquid chromatography, which is responsible for the pungent taste.
However, despite all the chemical tests in the world, the pungency of the pepper remains subjective. The degree of responsiveness of taste buds in the mouth is individual for everyone, and if one can absorb kilograms of fire-breathing peppers, then the other feels pain in the stomach from one type of red pod. Plus, like grapes, the taste of pepper varies depending on the country where it is grown, the composition of the soil, the number of sunny days per year, and many other nuances. The pungency of neighboring pods on a bush can differ significantly!
Top 10 hottest peppers in the world
10. Naga Viper
Scoville Pungency Scale (SHU): 1.382 million
Comparison with jalapenos (medium chili): 553 times hotter.
Country of origin: England.
What happens if you cross three varieties of the hottest peppers? Naga Viper! The pedigree of this plant with character is impressive - its parents are included in our top 10 Moruga Scorpion, Naga Morich and "ghost pepper" - a variety of chili peppers that grows on the border of India and Bangladesh and is characterized by a high content of capsaicin and, accordingly, a fiery taste.
Slow Naga Viper sharpness; this means that the person who takes it in his mouth will first feel the fruity sweetness of the shell, before the fiery mouth of hell opens up.About 7 years ago, in 2011, Naga Viper was considered the hottest pepper in the world and was even included in the Guinness Book of Records until a year later it was defeated by its own parent (by the way, occupying the honorable sixth place in this rating).
9. Naga Morich
SHU: 1.5 million
Comparison with jalapenos: 600 times sharper.
Country of origin: India.
Indians know a lot about spices - like the "ghost pepper", Naga Morich comes from the southern regions of India. In general, Naga Morich tastes very much like its "wild" brother - like him, the fiery nature of the modern variety is revealed slowly.
It takes about 30 seconds for a person to taste the flame. Until then, the taster only feels pleasant fruity notes. Therefore, this pepper is so good in sauces and marinades for kebabs - at first pleasant, soft and juicy, and then demonically spicy. Surprisingly, Indians and Bengalis like to eat whole Naga Morich peppers like a salad. True, they risk doing this only with green fruits that have not yet reached their true severity.
8. Dorset Naga
SHU: 1.598 million
Comparison with jalapenos: 639 times sharper.
Country of origin: England.
There is a debate among pepper connoisseurs as to whether Naga Morich and Dorset Naga are the same variety. Technically, yes, but Dorset Naga definitely represents the next evolutionary step in the variety. This variety was created in England by breeders who, for many years, carefully selected seeds from only the most pungent Naga Morich plants. However, Dorset Naga has become so popular all over the world that now no one pays attention to its suspicious affinity with Naga Morich.
The pungency of Dorset Naga appears even slower than that of its older brother, and the delicate fruity notes are more pronounced. Therefore, in marinades and sauces, it performs even better.
7.7 Pot Douglah
SHU: 1,854.
Comparison with jalapenos: 742 times sharper.
Country of origin: Trinidad.
Without a doubt, this plant is one of the ten hottest peppers, but its appearance and taste are different from others. The skin of this pepper is chocolate-colored instead of the usual fire-red, and the taste is not only fruity, but even a little nutty. Therefore, 7 Pot Douglah is a unique phenomenon of its kind, both in appearance and taste. And in sharpness too.
Peppers from 1.8 million on the hotness scale should be handled with care. Just one drop of juice is enough to cause severe skin burns, so gloves and even glasses should be worn when preparing extra-hot foods. It's scary to imagine what would happen if the juice gets on the cornea of the eye! A very tiny amount is enough to spice up food - not without reason the name of this variety is 7 Pots, which means “seven pots”. That is, one such pepper is capable of igniting the contents of at least seven pots.
6. Trinidad Moruga Scorpion
SHU: 2 million
Comparison with jalapenos: 800 times sharper.
Country of origin: Trinidad.
Calling the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion "spicy" is like saying the sun's surface is "hot." This, of course, is true, but does not reflect the full scale of the phenomenon. Trinidad Moruga Scorpion is a pepper so hot that people are forced to treat it like a nuclear warhead - gently, carefully and in protective gear. It is so pungent that it is surpassed by only five varieties around the world, one of which is its own variety.
The pungency of this pepper not only develops slowly, it also lasts a long time! At first everything looks quite innocent, but after half a minute, fire spreads through the veins of a person, he sweats, hiccups, sneezes, his eyes begin to water ... It is clear that most people never use it in its raw form for anything and never. Therefore, Trinidad Moruga Scorpion is put in very spicy sauces, seasonings, so that the spiciness of it is at least slightly diluted by more neutral ingredients.
5. Trinidad Scorpion Chocolate
SHU: 2 million
Comparison with jalapenos: 800 times sharper.
Country of origin: Trinidad.
Although on the scale of pungency, both sixth and fifth place look the same, their taste is markedly different. The “chocolate” version is softer, more juicy, ripe, less acidic, with smoky notes and an earthy sweetness.
But don't let this sweetness fool you - Trinidad Scorpion Chocolate has claws, and sharp claws that sink deep into the stomach and feel for a very long time. They are even sharper than those of the "older brother" - the minimum values on the Scoville scale are higher for the "chocolate" variety.
4. Chocolate Bhutlan
SHU: 2 million
Comparison with jalapenos: 800 times sharper.
Country of origin: USA.
Although Chocolate Bhutlan's maximum value is the same as the two Trinidad Scorpion species, the lower limit is higher. It belongs to the group of "quick" peppers, the demonic nature of which you feel immediately, like a blow with a hoof. Chocolate Bhutlan is a hybrid of two very hot peppers, Bhut Jolokia, "ghost pepper" and the seventh place in the rating, 7 Pot Douglah. Hence the name - Bhut-lah. The taste of this pepper, like that of other "chocolate" varieties, is sweetish, earthy, and the smell is floral.
3. Komodo Dragon Pepper
SHU: 1.4 - 2.2 million
Comparison with jalapenos: 880 times sharper.
Country of origin: England.
Without a doubt, only true fans can eat this pepper. Like the "ghost pepper", it unfolds slowly, first allowing you to fully experience its sweetish fruity tones.
Unlike other super-hot beers only available to true fans who order by mail order and specialty stores, Komodo Dragon Pepper can be bought at any supermarket in England. Yes, yes, it just lies there on the shelf, pepper, rivaling the famous "Carolina Reaper" in its heat.
It is impossible to eat this pepper without diluting it with something (and more). Like its distant cousin, the Seven Pans, Komodo Dragon pepper alone is enough to bring fire to a variety of dishes.
2. Carolina Reaper
SHU: 2.2 million
Comparison with jalapenos: 880 times sharper.
Country of origin: USA.
When Trinidad Moruga Scoprion reclaimed the world's hottest pepper laurels from its brainchild in 2012, did its creators know the end was near? In secret laboratories in the United States, its substitute, Carolina Reaper, entered the Guinness Book of Records in 2013. The creator of this tame dragon is Ed Currie, owner of the Puckerbutt Pepper Company, located naturally in South Carolina. Carolina Reaper is the love fruit of the red habanero subspecies and the Naga Viper pepper, ranked tenth. As Ed himself said, he just wanted to create a sweet pepper that would be a little sharper. Well, he succeeded.
Interestingly, Ed began to grow peppers for health purposes, as there were cases of cancer in his family, and the healing properties of hot peppers attracted his attention. Passion has grown into passion, and passion has grown into a way to make a living.
1. Dragon's Breath is the hottest pepper in the world
SHU: 2.480 million
Comparison with jalapenos: 992 times sharper.
Country of origin: England.
In the war between the United States and England for the right to be called the homeland of the hottest pepper in the world, England seems to be winning. One of the last pungent varieties bred in foggy Albion is called "Dragon's Breath". It got its name in honor of the national coat of arms of Wales, which depicts this mythical beast. Compared to the Reaper, the peak power of the Breath is 280 points higher, which equates to a whopping 12 jalapenos!
Obviously, such a fusion pepper is not intended for mass consumption. On the contrary, it was created with the goal of replacing pain relievers for those who are allergic to conventional medical anesthetics.
However, the question of which pepper is the hottest is still not resolved. The US is not going to give up. Recently, it was reported from the Karolinska Laboratory that the creator of the "Reaper" is not going to rest on his laurels. The new pepper in his collection, so far called Pepper X, or "Pepper X", breaks all records - they say that its capacity is 3.18 million Scoville units!
Hot pepper eating competition
For some people, even moderately hot chili peppers can turn a stew into a cauldron of lava. For others, only a large amount of pepper can add flavor to the food. However, there is a third category - those that look for hotter peppers and eat them in competitions. For such people, there is even a special term, "pyrogurmaniac", where pepper is responsible for "pyro", "gourmet" - for taste sensations, but "maniac" adequately reflects their mental characteristics.
These people with dubious common sense willingly subject themselves to torture with extra-hot varieties of red pepper, which challenge both their willpower and the stomach lining. Attention! If you even think jalapeno peppers in pizza are hot, then watching this video should be accompanied by a glass of milk.
However, the fun can turn into trouble, as a participant in one of these competitions recently felt. After eating a particularly pungent variety "Caroline Reaper", he felt a severe headache. Hot pepper caused a narrowing of the blood vessels of the brain, taking revenge on its eater.