The ghost pepper,[1][2] also known as Template:Lang (Template:Lit. or 'ghost pepper' in Assamese[3]) or Template:Lang, is a superhot chili pepper cultivated in Northeast India.[4][5] In 2007, Guinness World Records certified that the ghost pepper was the world's hottest chili pepper, 170 times hotter than Tabasco sauce. The ghost chili is rated at more than one million Scoville Heat Units (SHUs) and far surpasses the amount of a habanero. However, the ghost chili has since been superseded by the Trinidad Scorpion Butch T pepper in 2011, the Carolina Reaper in 2013 and Pepper X in 2023.[6]
Ghost pepper belongs to the species Capsicum chinense, but RAPD analysis indicates the presence of some genetic material from Capsicum frutescens from an introgression event, however, there is no indication that this is related to its exceptional heat.[7]
Etymology and regional names
The name Template:Lang means 'Bhutanese pepper' in Assamese; the first element Template:Lang Template:IPA, meaning 'Bhutanese', was mistakenly confused for a near-homonym Template:Lang Template:IPA, meaning 'ghost'.[8][9][10][11]
In Assam,[12] the pepper is also known as Template:Lang meaning 'poison chili', from Assamese Template:Lang meaning 'poison' and Template:Lang meaning 'chili pepper', denoting the plant's heat.[13] Similarly, in Nagaland, one of the regions of cultivation, the chili is called Raja mirja meaning King chili ('Naga king chili'; also romanized Template:Lang) and Template:Lang (also romanized Template:Lang).[13] This name is especially common in other regions where it is grown, such as Assam and Manipur.[13] It has also been called the Tezpur chili after the Assamese city of Tezpur.[14] In Manipur, the chili is called umorok.[15] In Northeast India, Template:Lang is also known as the "king chili" or "king cobra chilli'".[16] Other usages on the subcontinent are naga jolokia, 'Indian mystery chili' and 'Indian rough chili'.[13]
Scoville rating
In 2000, India's Defence Research Laboratory (DRL) reported a Scoville rating for the ghost pepper of 855,000 SHUs,[17] and in 2004 a rating of 1,041,427 SHUs was made using HPLC analysis.[18] For comparison, Tabasco red pepper sauce rates at 2,500–5,000, and pure capsaicin (the chemical responsible for the pungency of pepper plants) rates at 16,000,000 SHUs. In 2005, New Mexico State University's Chile Pepper Institute in Las Cruces, New Mexico,[19] found ghost peppers grown from seed in southern New Mexico to have a Scoville rating of 1,001,304 SHUs by HPLC.[4] Unlike most peppers, ghost peppers produce capsaicin in vesicles not only in the placenta around the seeds but also throughout the fruit.[20]
Characteristics
Ripe peppers measure Template:Convert in length and Template:Convert in width with a red, yellow, orange, or chocolate color. The unselected strain of ghost peppers from India is an extremely variable plant, with a wide range in fruit sizes and fruit production per plant. Ghost pepper pods are unique among peppers because of their characteristic shape and very thin skin.[21] However, the red fruit variety has two different types: the rough, dented fruit and the smooth fruit. The rough fruit plants are taller, with more fragile branches, while the smooth fruit plants yield more fruit and are compact with sturdier branches.[22] It takes about 7–12 days to germinate at 32–38 °C.
Template:Col-begin Template:Col-break
| Plant height | 45–120 cm (17–47 inches) |
|---|---|
| Stem color | Green |
| Leaf color | Green |
| Leaf length | 10.65–14.25 cm |
| Leaf width | 5.4–7.5 cm |
| Pedicels per axil | 2 |
| Corolla color | Yellow green |
| Anther color | Pale blue |
| Annular constriction | Present below calyx |
| Fruit color at maturity | Red is the most common, with orange, yellow and chocolate as rarer varieties |
| Fruit shape | Subconical to conical |
|---|---|
| Fruit length | 5.95–8.54 cm |
| Fruit width at shoulder | 2.5–2.95 cm |
| Fruit weight | 6.95–8.97 g |
| Fruit surface | Rough, uneven or smooth |
| Seed color | Light tan |
| 1000 seed weight | 4.1–5.2 g |
| Seeds per fruit | 19–35 |
| Hypocotyl color | Green |
| Cotyledonous leaf shape | Deltoid |
Uses
Culinary
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Ghost peppers are used as a food and a spice.[5] It is used in both fresh and dried forms to heat up curries, pickles and chutneys. It is popularly used in combination with pork or dried or fermented fish. The pepper's intense heat makes it a fixture in competitive chili pepper eating.[23]
Animal control
In northeastern India, the peppers are smeared on fences or incorporated in smoke bombs as a safety precaution to keep wild elephants at a distance.[24][25]
Chili grenades
Template:Main In 2009, scientists at India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) announced plans to use the peppers in hand grenades as a nonlethal method to control rioters with pepper sprays or in self-defence.[26][27] The DRDO said that ghost pepper-based aerosol sprays could be used as a "safety device", and "civil variants" of chili grenades could be used to control and disperse mobs.[28] Chili grenades made from ghost peppers were successfully used by the Indian Army in August 2015 to flush out a terrorist hiding in a cave.[29]
Gallery
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Ghost pepper leaf, about 10-day-old plant -
Ghost pepper leaf, about 30-day-old plant -
Ghost pepper plant, 40 days old, grown in coco peat -
Peach ghost pepper -
Yellow ghost pepper -
Chocolate ghost pepper -
Purple ghost pepper -
Red ghost pepper -
Ripe, harvested Template:Lang -
Template:Lang/ghost pepper plant
See also
References
- ↑ Ghost peppers are saving U.S. grasslands—by scaring off hungry mice. Science(3 August 2018). Retrieved 25 June 2019.
- ↑ The Incredible Story of Bhut Jolokia: From Rural India to Dumb YouTube Stunts. Taste(1 January 2019). Retrieved 25 June 2019.
- ↑ Definition of BHUT JOLOKIA. www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 2020-10-26.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 NMSU is home to the world's hottest chile pepper. Retrieved 21 February 2007.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 'Ghost chile' burns away stomach ills - Diet & Nutrition - NBC News. Retrieved 5 August 2007.
- ↑ Hottest Chili. Guinness World Records. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
- ↑ 'Bhut Jolokia'—The World's Hottest Known Chile Pepper is a Putative Naturally Occurring Interspecific Hybrid. Horticultural Science({Template:Year).
- ↑ Definition of BHUT JOLOKIA. www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 2020-10-26.
- ↑ India's 'ghost pepper' is one of the hottest chillies. Can Britain handle it?(16 September 2021).
- ↑ MasterChef Australia features eight of the hottest chillies on the planet; have you tried any?. The Indian Express(2021-06-02). Retrieved 2021-11-04.
- ↑ Can Ghost Peppers Kill You?. HowStuffWorks(2015-08-11). Retrieved 2022-08-17.
- ↑ "The origin of the Chili lies in the north-eastern of India, in the region of Assam." https://chili-plant.com/chilli-varieties/bhut-jolokia-chili/
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 Genetic Variability and Traditional Practices in Naga King Chili Landraces of Nagaland. Asian Agri-History({Template:Year).
- ↑ The Complete Chile Pepper Book{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Timber Press(2009). ISBN 978-0-88192-920-1
- ↑ Capsaicin Content and Pungency of Different Capsicum spp. Cultivars. Not. Bot. Hort. Agrobot. Cluj.({Template:Year).
- ↑ Bhut Jolokia / Naga Chilli / King Chilli(Aug 2021). Retrieved 25 August 2021.
- ↑ The hottest chili variety in India. Current Science({Template:Year).
- ↑ Bih jolokia. Retrieved 12 December 2006.
- ↑ NMSU: The Chile Pepper Institute - Home. The Chile Pepper Institute. Retrieved 20 July 2012.
- ↑ Novel Formation of Ectopic (Nonplacental) Capsaicinoid Secreting Vesicles on Fruit Walls Explains the Morphological Mechanism for Super-hot Chile Peppers. Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science({Template:Date).
- ↑ [{{{url}}} Hot Pod: World's Hottest].
- ↑ Dremann, Craig Carlton. 2011. Redwood City Seed Company, Observations on the variations in the Bhut Jolokia pepper from seed reproduction growouts.
- ↑ The Gut-Wrenching Science Behind the World's Hottest Peppers. Smithsonian Magazine(June 2013). Retrieved 4 December 2013.
- ↑ World's Hottest Chile Used as Elephant Repellent, Hussain, Wasbir. National Geographic(20 November 2007). Retrieved 21 November 2007.
- ↑ Ghost Chile Scares Off Elephants. National Geographic(20 November 2007). Retrieved 18 August 2008.
- ↑ Army's new weapon: world's hottest chili - Trends News - IBNLive. Ibnlive.in.com(24 March 2010). Retrieved 6 November 2012.
- ↑ South Asia | India plans hot chilli grenades.. BBC News(25 June 2009). Retrieved 11 April 2010.
- ↑ India scientists hail 'multi-purpose' chillis. BBC News(24 March 2010). Retrieved 24 April 2012.
- ↑ Army used 'chilly grenades' to flush out Pak terrorist Sajjad Ahmed from a cave. The Indian Express. Retrieved 14 February 2016.
