World's hottest chile pepper discovered

EurekAlert ^ | 10/26/07 | American Society for Horticultural Science

[crazyshrink]

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico -- Researchers at New Mexico State University recently discovered the world’s hottest chile pepper. Bhut Jolokia, a variety of chile pepper originating in Assam, India, has earned Guiness World Records’ recognition as the world’s hottest chile pepper by blasting past the previous champion Red Savina. In replicated tests of Scoville heat units (SHUs), Bhut Jolokia reached one million SHUs, almost double the SHUs of Red Savina, which measured a mere 577,000.

Dr. Paul Bosland, Director of the Chile Pepper Institute at New Mexico State University’s Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences collected seeds of Bhut Jolokia while visiting India in 2001. Bosland grew Bhut Jolokia plants under insect-proof cages for three years to produce enough seed to complete the required field tests. “The name Bhut Jolokia translates as ‘ghost chile,’” Bosland said, “I think it’s because the chile is so hot, you give up the ghost when you eat it!” Bosland added that the intense heat concentration of Bhut Jolokia could have significant impact on the food industry as an economical seasoning in packaged foods.

### The complete study and abstract are available on the ASHS HortScience electronic journal web site: http://hortsci.ashspublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/42/2/222

Founded in 1903, the American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS) is the largest organization dedicated to advancing all facets of horticultural research, education, and application. Society website - ashs.org

[weegee]

Come on, ice cream!

[no-s]

We had one of those (chile tepin) growing next to the front porch when I was a toddler (McCamey TX). When my mom made beans I would go out front and pick two or three. We would chop them up into tiny pieces and one tiny sliver would be strong enough to flavor a whole bowlful. I gradually progressed to bringing a few with me to flavor my lunch at Sunday school...

44 years later I've had to give up drinking chili sauce for breakfast because it has too much salt, but at least I can still dip raw jalepeno slices in it...Last night I had a cup of raw chili peppers with my dinner (a chile relleno).

[abigailsmybaby]

That’s not food. It’s a lethal weapon.

[Gengis Khan]

The actual translation is “Ghost burning” not “Ghost chili”.

[Gengis Khan]

The actual translation is “Ghost burning” not “Ghost chili”.

[LegendHasIt]

No thanks!

I may be a native New Mexican, but my palate and digestive system might as well be in someone from Iowa, (Or as the commercial says: I get my salsa from New York CITY). Jalapenos make me cry like a baby. Only the mildest green or red for me, please.

[VOA]

I don’t know if, being in solution, if this is a valid rating for
habeneros...but the Tabasco Company’s Habanero sauce is rated at 7,000
to 8,000 SHUs.

Here’s a nice little primer on SHUs at the Tabasco site:
http://tabasco.com/info_booth/faq/scoville_units.cfm

One habanero is rated at 350,000 SHUs, according to the primer.

PS: I can recommend the new Tabasco Jalapeno sauce. It’s got great
Jalapeno taste and just “warms” a bowl of chili if you tap 5 or 6
drops.

[null and void]

The Chipolte isn’t bad either.

[Pyro7480]

I like to add that to ketchup, and dip my fries to it. :-D

[abigailsmybaby]

LOL I can eat jalapenos in great moderation and if they’re mixed in with other food. We used to have a friend who ate them like popcorn. It just amazed me how he could do that.

[LegendHasIt]

LMAO!!! at that preacher / pepper story. Best laugh I’ve had in months. Thank you.

[TheMom]

Many years ago, our neighbor had a huge Chile piquin plant, and she let me pick all I could use. I made salsa one year and put them in baby food jars, friends gave me a “what the hell” look when I handed them out . . . until they tasted the stuff. It was great, but it was hot!

One weekend we had some of Eaker’s coworkers over for a BBQ, the Mexicans would not go near those peppers.

[VOA]

“The Chipolte isn’t bad either.”

Thanks for the recommendation.

Somehow even the big stores here in Mid-Missouri only have the Tabasco sauces
in their regular, habanero and now the Jalapeno flavors.

I think I might just spring for one of the Tabasco samplers...so I
can get some of that Chipotle and Garlic flavors as well.

http://countrystore.tabasco.com/index_category_more.cfm?tlcatid=2&catid=46&moreid=C446

[VOA]

Thanks for the graphic.

I had no idea about the “delayed collateral damage” from eating too many
hot peppers. Until an tough field-worker (friend of the family) was scarfing
down a bunch of jalapenos and said to me “I’m gonna’ pay for this tomorrow!”.

(and silly me, I just had to ask what he meant by that!)

[tob2]

Even mild chili peppers upset my stomach. There is no way I’d eat one of these hotter than h**l ones! But for those of you who want to try it, you have my blessings and can have my share.

[crazyshrink]

This pepper weighs in at only slightly more than 1 million SHU’s. Somone was kind enuf to post a chart way back up post.

[VOA]

This pepper weighs in at only slightly more than 1 million SHU’s.

Surely some enterprising marketer will put out a sauce with this
biological weapon with a name like "Critical Mass".

And warn that if taken in sufficient amounts, consumers can expect
a "thermonuclear reaction" from the front-end to the tail-end of
their digestive tract.

[null and void]

Even mild chili peppers upset my stomach. There is no way I’d eat one of these hotter than h**l ones!

I can't stomach bell peppers. The hot ones? No problem!

Go figure...

[null and void]

[grey_whiskers]

Have you tried this?

Cheers!