Naga Jolokia or Bhut Jolokia Peppers

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Earlier today I wrote about the Scoville scale, the rating system for the hotness of chili peppers. I mentioned Naga Jolokia, the world's hottest chili pepper. Here's are some facts about the Naga Jolokia:

This pepper, also known as Bhut Jolokia, rates over 1,000,000 on the Scoville scale. It grows in India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh.

Bhut Jolokia means "ghost chili," bhut meaning "ghost" and jolokia meaning "chili pepper" in the Assam state of India.

In 2006, The Guinness Book of World Records confirmed it as the world's hottest chili pepper.

Eating just a small bite of a Naga Jolokia can cause pain and burning in the mouth for 30 minutes. Eating a whole one - well, it might just turn you into a ghost or at least give you a near death experience.

The AP published an article last year about the "ghost chili." Here's a snippet:

The smallest morsels can flavor a sauce so intensely it’s barely edible. Eating a raw sliver causes watering eyes and a runny nose. An entire chili is an all-out assault on the senses, akin to swigging a cocktail of battery acid and glass shards.

For generations, though, it’s been loved in India’s northeast, eaten as a spice, a cure for stomach troubles and, seemingly paradoxically, a way to fight the crippling summer heat.

Isn't it funny that for so many years experts thought chili peppers caused ulcers, but that in fact they actually prevent ulcers and are helpful to the stomach overall?

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Scoville Heat Units - Chili Pepper Rating Scale

Posted by Tracy on April 29, 2008 1:56 PM | DIGG | del.icio.us | furl