Ghost pepper

Theghost pepper,also known asbhüt jolokia(lit.'Bhutanese pepper'or 'Ghost pepper' inAssamese), is aninterspecific hybridchili peppercultivated inNortheast India.It is a hybrid ofCapsicum chinenseandCapsicum frutescens.
In 2007,Guinness World Recordscertified that the ghost pepper was the world's hottest chili pepper, 170 times hotter thanTabasco sauce. The ghost chili is rated at more than one millionScoville Heat Units(SHUs) and far surpasses the amount of acayenne pepper. However, in the race to grow thehottest chili pepper, the ghost chili was superseded by theTrinidad Scorpion Butch T pepperin 2011, theCarolina Reaperin 2013 andPepper Xin 2023.
The namebhüt jolokiameans 'Bhutanese pepper' inAssamese; the first elementbhüt/bʱʊt/, meaning 'Bhutanese', was mistakenly confused for a near-homonymbhut/bʱut/meaning 'ghost'.
InAssam,the pepper is also known asbih zôlôkiameaning 'poison chili', from Assamesebihmeaning 'poison' andzôlôkiameaning 'chili pepper', denoting the plant's heat.Similarly, inNagaland, one of the regions of cultivation, the chili is calledRaja Mirjameaning King chili ('Naga king chili'; also romanizednôga zôlôkia) andbhut jolokia(also romanizedbhût zôlôkiya).This name is especially common in other regions where it is grown, such as Assam andManipur.It has also been called the Tezpur chili after the Assamese city ofTezpur.In Manipur, the chili is calledumorok.InNortheast India,bhut jolokiais also known as the "king chili" or "king cobra chilli'".Other usages on the subcontinent aresaga jolokia, 'Indian mystery chili' and 'Indian rough chili'.
In 2000, India's Defence Research Laboratory (DRL) reported aScovillerating for the ghost pepper of 855,000 SHUs,and in 2004 a rating of 1,041,427 SHUs was made usingHPLCanalysis.For comparison,Tabasco red pepper saucerates at 2,500–5,000, and purecapsaicin(the chemical responsible for thepungencyof pepper plants) rates at 16,000,000 SHUs. In 2005,New Mexico State University'sChile Pepper InstituteinLas Cruces, New Mexico,found ghost peppers grown from seed in southernNew Mexicoto 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.
Ripe peppers measure 60 to 85 mm (2.4 to 3.3 in) in length and 25 to 30 mm (1.0 to 1.2 in) 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.
Ghost peppers are used as a food and a spice.It is used in both fresh and dried forms to heat upcurries,picklesandchutneys. It is popularly used in combination withporkor dried orfermentedfish. The pepper's intense heat makes it a fixture in competitive chili pepper eating.
In northeastern India, the peppers are smeared on fences or incorporated in smoke bombs as a safety precaution to keep wildelephantsat a distance.
In 2009, scientists at India'sDefence Research and Development Organisation(DRDO) announced plans to use the peppers inhand grenadesas anonlethalmethod to control rioters withpepper spraysor in self-defence.The DRDO said that ghost pepper-based aerosol sprays could be used as a "safety device", and "civil variants" of chiligrenadescould be used to control and disperse mobs.Chili grenades made from ghost peppers were successfully used by theIndian Armyin August 2015 to flush out a terrorist hiding in a cave.