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Let’s discover the 5 hottest chillies           in the world

Do you love heat? Do you think you’ve tried all the types of chilli peppers, and most importantly, the spiciest ones? Do you think you could eat them without feeling the urge to start guzzling liters of milk?

Here we have the ranking of the hottest chillies in the world, reserved for the true veteran lovers of extreme levels of capsaicin. The letters SHU indicate the level of spiciness according to the Scoville scale, created by the American chemist Wilbur Lincoln Scoville.

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CONTENTS

1. Carolina Reaper

2. Trinidad Moruga Scorpion

3. Naga Viper

4. Bhut Jolokia

5. Seven Pod

1. Carolina Reaper (HP22B): 2,200,000 SHU. In 2013, it was declared the hottest pepper in the world. At the moment (11/2014), it holds the official record for capsaicin content. It originates in Rock Hill, South Carolina, created by crossing Pakistani Naga Morich and Red Habanero. When mature, the fruit is deep red with a sweet, fruity flavor and hints of chocolate and cinnamon. It has been tested for more than four years in the Winthrop University laboratory and was found to have an average of 1,569,300 SHU per fruit on the Scoville scale.

2. Trinidad Scorpion Butch T: 1,463,700 SHU. This pepper is native to Central American and was developed in Australia. It’s so hot that it has to be handled with special protective gear. When the fruit is fully mature, it is red and about the size of a golf ball with a  fruity flavor. In 2012, it was ranked the hottest pepper in the world, soon losing that title to the Carolina Reaper. It is often used as the base in hot sauces.

3. Naga Viper: 1,382,118 SHU. It held the Guinness World Record until 2011 when it lost the title to the Trinidad Scorpion Butch. I was created in a greenhouse by Gerald Fowler of the Chilli Pepper Company in England by crossing Naga Jolokia with two other pepper varieties, Naga Morich and Trinidad Scorpion. The variety is not very stable in that it can’t generate other fruit. Experts are currently working on stabilizing the variety.

4. Bhut Jolokia: from 855,000 to 1,041,427 SHU. This is a hybrid between Capsicum chinense and Capsicum frutescens and holder of the Guinness World Record from 2007 to 2011 when it was overtaken by the Naga Viper.
   The fully mature fruit reach a length of 5-7 centimeters. They are deep red in color and have a very fruity, almost sweet taste.
   This variety is native to India and is also known by the name “Ghost Pepper”. Just because it comes in at fourth place doesn’t mean it isn’t powerful: with capsaicin levels this high, you need to be very careful!

5. Seven Pod Douglah: from 800,000 to 1,030,000 SHU. This very rare pepper belongs to the Capsicum Chinense species and comes from the Chaguanas area of Trinidad of Tobago. When completely mature, the fruit are the size and shape of a ping pong ball, deep red, and with a strong, almost fruity aftertaste.
   The name 7 POD means "7 FRUITS", as a reference to its extreme spiciness equal to that of seven peppers of other varieties.

Video Guinness World Records N.10 Bhut Jolokia

Final thoughts on the Calabrian chilli

Calabrian cuisine is considered very spicy by Italians. A Calabrian chilli reaches 20,000 on the Scoville scale. The chillies listed in this guide reach more than 1,000,000 on the scale, so imagine how hot they must be. 

WARNING

When handling all types of chilli peppers, remember to always wash your hands, use nitrile gloves (thicker and more resistant than regular latex gloves), and avoid contact with the eyes and other sensitive areas. Return to index

Video Carolina Reaper Taste Test: