NAGA JOLOKIA PEPPER

The Naga Jolkia is also known asBhut Jolokia, Naga Morich, Ghost Pepper, Bih Jolokia and Ghost Chili, Has been confirmed as being the worlds hottest chili by the Guinness World Records in 2007, The Naga Chili has an amazing Scoville rating of 1,041,427 SHU, That is almost double the strength of the existing holder, The Red Savina(580.000 SHU) and almost 400 times hotter than Tabasco sauce (2,500-5,000 SHU), The Naga Jolokia is a naturally occurring inter-specific hybrid that originates in the Assam region of north-eastern India and can be found growing in the Indian states of Nagaland and Manipur, The word “jolokia” means chili pepper in Assamese and the word “naga” means King cobra, It is believed that the chili has has been named after the deadly snake that is found in the region, With the hot taste of the chili being like the venom of the King Cobra, Other translations are “bih jolokia” poison chili pepper and “bhut” means ghost in Assamese, The ripe peppers measure 60mm-80mm long and 25mm-30mm wide and have an orange or red colour, They are similar in appearance to the Habanero Pepper however they have a rougher, dented skin, Apart from being used as a spice in foods the Naga Pepper has alternative uses, In north-eastern India  they are used in smoke bombs and spread on fences as a safety precaution to keep wild elephants away.

With a rating of 1,041,427 SHU theNaga Jolokiais extremely hot, The official rating of a chili peppers strength(heat) is known as Scoville Heat Units (SHU), This Scoville rating is the amount of times that the chili extract needs to be diluted in water for it to lose it’s heat, Chili Peppers come in a lot of different vaireties with a lot of different strengths ranging from mild to extremely hot,

Bell Peppersrank 0 SHU, Jalapeno2,500-8,000  SHU, Thai Hot60,000 SHU, Scotch Bonnet100,000-350,000 SHU, Red Savina Habanero580,000 SHU, Naga Jolokia 1,041,427 SHU

Guide to Growing Chili Peppers