Ghost pepper
The ghost pepper, also known as bhut jolokia or naga jolokia, is a superhot chili pepper cultivated in Northeast India.
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 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 However, the ghost chili has since been superseded by the Trinidad Scorpion Butch T pepper in 2011, the Carolina Reaper in 2013 and Pepper X in 2023.
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.
Etymology and regional names
The name bhut jolokia means 'Bhutanese pepper' in Assamese; the first element bhut, meaning 'Bhutanese', was mistakenly confused for a near-homonym bhut, meaning 'ghost'.In Assam, the pepper is also known as bih zôlôkia meaning 'poison chili', from Assamese bih meaning 'poison' and zôlôkia meaning 'chili pepper', denoting the plant's heat. Similarly, in Nagaland, one of the regions of cultivation, the chili is called Raja mirja meaning King chili and bhut jolokia. This name is especially common in other regions where it is grown, such as Assam and Manipur. It has also been called the Tezpur chili after the Assamese city of Tezpur. In Manipur, the chili is called umorok. In Northeast India, bhut jolokia is also known as the "king chili" or "king cobra chilli'". Other usages on the subcontinent are naga jolokia, 'Indian mystery chili' and 'Indian rough chili'.
Scoville rating
In 2000, India's Defence Research Laboratory reported a Scoville rating for the ghost pepper of 855,000 SHUs, and in 2004 a rating of 1,041,427 SHUs was made using HPLC analysis. For comparison, Tabasco red pepper sauce rates at 2,500–5,000, and pure capsaicin rates at 16,000,000 SHUs. In 2005, New Mexico State University's Chile Pepper Institute in Las Cruces, New Mexico, found ghost peppers grown from seed in southern New Mexico to have a Scoville rating of 1,001,304 SHUs by HPLC. Unlike most peppers, ghost peppers produce capsaicin in vesicles not only in the placenta around the seeds but also throughout the fruit.Characteristics
Ripe peppers measure in length and 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. 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. It takes about 7–12 days to germinate at 32–38 °C.| Plant height | 45–120 cm |
| 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 |