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 Fresh Naga Jolokia Peppers (whole and cut)
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| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Trinomial name | ||||||||||||||||||
| Capsicum chinense 'Naga Jolokia' |
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| Heat: Peak (SR: 1,041,427) |
The Naga Jolokia (also known as Bhut Jolokia, Ghost Chili, Ghost Pepper, Naga Morich) is a chili pepper that grows primarily in Assam state of India, but also in northeastern India (Nagaland, Manipur), Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. In 2006, it was confirmed by Guinness World Records to be the hottest chili in the world, replacing the Red Savina. Disagreement has arisen on whether it is a Capsicum frutescens or a Capsicum chinense. The Indians claim it is a C. frutescens,[1] but recent DNA tests have found that it is an interspecies hybrid, mostly C. chinense with some C. frutescens genes.[2]
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It is called Naga Morich in Bangladesh, Nai Miris in Sri Lanka (Nai = 'Cobra', Miris = 'Chili'; in Sinhalese) and Bih Jolokia in the Indian state of Assam (Bih = 'poison', Jolokia = 'chili pepper'; in Assamese). Other names are Bhut Jolokia (Bhut = 'ghost', probably due to its ghostly bite or introduction by the Bhutias from Bhutan poison chili), Oo-Morok in Manipur (Oo = 'Tree', 'Oo' pronounced as in Book, Morok = 'Chilli'), Borbih Jolokia, Nagahari, Nagajolokia, Naga Moresh and Raja Mirchi ('King of Chillies'). Regardless of the nomenclature, they all refer to the same plant. The word Naga, meaning "cobra snake" in Sanskrit, stems from Nagaland and the Naga Community.
Ripe peppers measure 60 mm (2.4 in) to 85 mm (3.3 in) long and 25 mm (1.0 in) to 30 mm (1.2 in) wide with an orange or red color. They are similar in appearance to the Habanero pepper, but have a rougher, dented skin - a main characteristic of the Naga.[3]
In 2000, scientists at India's Defence Research Laboratory (DRL) reported a rating of 855,000 units on the Scoville scale,[1] and in 2004 an Indian company obtained a rating of 1,041,427 units through HPLC analysis.[4] This makes it almost twice as hot as the Red Savina pepper. For comparison, pure capsaicin rates at 15,000,000–16,000,000 Scoville units.
In 2005 at New Mexico State University Chile Pepper Institute near Las Cruces, New Mexico, Regents Professor Paul Bosland found Naga Jolokia grown from seed in southern New Mexico to have a Scoville rating of 1,001,304 SHU by HPLC.[5]
In February 2007, Guinness World Records certified the Bhut Jolokia (Prof. Bosland's preferred name for the pepper) as the world's hottest chili pepper.[5][6]
The effect of climate on the Scoville rating of Naga Jolokia peppers is dramatic. A 2005 Indian study that compared the percentage availability of capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin in Naga Jolokia peppers grown in both Tezpur (Assam) and Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh) showed that the heat of the pepper is decreased by over 50% in Gwalior's more arid climate (similar temperatures but less humid, much lower rainfall).[7]
A home-grown variety of Naga jolokia, called Dorset Naga pepper is cultivated in West Bexington, Dorset, England.[8] It was developed through simple plant selection by a British couple using Naga jolokia bought at a Pakistani food store in Bournemouth, UK.[9] Samples of the 2005 crop sent to two different U.S. laboratories in early 2006 reported heat ratings of 876,000 and 970,000 Scoville units.[8]
The British couple selling this variety claim that they have developed it and have sought plant variety protection so that no one else can sell the seeds.[10]
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The pepper is used as a spice in food or eaten alone. One seed from a Naga Jolokia can produce sustained intense pain sensations in the mouth for up to 30 minutes before subsiding. Extreme care should be taken when ingesting the pepper and its seeds, so as to not get it in the eyes. It is used as a cure for stomach ailments. It is also used as a remedy to summer heat, presumably by inducing perspiration. [11] In northeastern India the peppers are smeared on fences or used in smoke bombs as a safety precaution to keep wild elephants at a distance.[12] [13]
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