World’s Hottest Peppers

World's Hottest Pepper?

Tabasco thinks their peppers and eponymous sauce are hot. Anybody who’s just ate a habanero thinks that’s a hot pepper. But earlier this year, Paul Bosland of New Mexico State University said “Damn, I’ve got a hot pepper.” And the Guiness World Records folks agreed.

Bosland had identified the Naga Jolokia pepper and measured it at over one million Scoville Heat Units, quite a bit more than three times the burn of a hot hot habanero. National Geographic Magazine charted it up in a recent issue:

Hot Pepper

BBC Gardening charts it slightly differently, calling the old habanero much mightier than NGM’s list, and putting the Dorset Naga, the UK’s entry into the race, up at more than 1.5 million SHUs (pepper spray is two to five million SHU, pure capsaicin is over 15 million):

  • Dorset Naga, 1598227 SHU
  • Caribbean Red Hot, 530283 SHU
  • Orange Habanero, 487672 SHU
  • Fiesta (grown outdoors), 286185 SHU
  • Scotch Bonnet, 265054 SHU
  • Apache, 103282 SHU
  • Fiesta (grown indoors), 102328 SHU
  • Paper Lantern, 85486 SHU
  • Adorno, 67726 SHU
  • Etna, 65937 SHU

Wikipedia explains some of the discrepancy:

Pungency values for any pepper, stated in “Scoville units,” are imprecise, due to expected variation within a species—easily by a factor of 10 or more—depending on seed lineage, climate and even soil (this is especially true of habaneros).

Both the Dorset Naga and Naga Jolokia were derived from peppers cultivated in India, but all the world’s peppers come from the Americas. Like potatos, corn, and tobacco, they spread rapidly after the European encounter and are now embraced in the traditional cuisines around the world.

Today, Cinco de Mayo, is as fine a day as any to test yourself with the hottest peppers you can find. Just keep the margaritas flowing.

pepper, peppers, hot peppers, world’s hottest pepper, Dorset Naga, Scotch Bonnet, Habanero, Tabasco, Naga Jolokia, Cayenne, jalapeño, world record

11 Comments

  1. Comment by gary on May 13, 2007 6:19 am

    where can i get some plants of the jolokia pepper

  2. Comment by ncampos on May 15, 2007 12:19 pm

    How or where can I buy a pack or two of these seeds?

  3. Comment by logan stewart on June 9, 2007 10:14 pm

    my pepper made me leak in the butt area. i attended a poor lady’s funeral because my butt spoke.
    Thanks again
    butt sauce 29

  4. Comment by william on August 26, 2007 4:25 pm

    Where can I buy some seeds

  5. Comment by stinkypoopee on September 8, 2007 5:50 pm

    I need some of them seeds of the Jolokia plant!!!!!

  6. Comment by dirtywhales on September 11, 2007 5:52 pm

    Want seeds?

    http://ushotstuff.com/pages/p0013.htm

  7. Comment by Thomas on September 17, 2007 5:30 pm

    Yo u guys know nothing i’ve had goddamn capsaican in my eye!

  8. Comment by Sheffie on October 16, 2007 12:57 am

    Hi, this is Sheffie from Singapore. I am a reporter from a local food magazine and I was doing research on Naga Dorset and then, I came across your blog. I was wondering is that possible for me to publish this picture on my magazine? I really wish that you can inform me about the good news ASAP! Thanks for sharing the information and photos on website. U have done a good job. Have a nice day ahead.

  9. Comment by singaporesucks on January 15, 2008 6:43 pm

    Sheffie,

    No, you cant use that picture in ur magazine, now go lick ass you douche.

  10. Comment by Nathan on February 14, 2008 1:18 pm

    If you dare to want these seeds then to order, call (505) 646-3028. Bhut Jolokia plants should be available for purchase from the institute in late April. This is from New Mexico State University

  11. Comment by ?Heather? on October 22, 2008 9:17 pm

    ? Dude this pepper will make you cry ?

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