Ghost Pepper
📷 Photo: Semillas.de
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The ghost pepper, or Bhut Jolokia, is a C. chinense landrace from northeastern India, particularly Assam, Nagaland, and Manipur, where it has been grown for generations. Genetic studies show it carries some C. frutescens material from a natural cross. In 2007 it became the first chili confirmed by Guinness World Records to exceed one million Scoville Heat Units; laboratory tests have placed it between roughly 855,000 and just over one million SHU. Its heat is famously deceptive, arriving several seconds after the bite and then building relentlessly. Beneath the burn is a slightly sweet, smoky-fruity flavor. In its home region it seasons pork and chutneys and was even used to deter wild elephants. Elsewhere it appears in hot sauces, spice blends, and endurance-style challenges, and it remains a parent of many modern superhot cultivars.
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The ghost pepper, or Bhut Jolokia, is a C. chinense landrace from northeastern India, particularly Assam, Nagaland, and Manipur, where it has been grown for generations. Genetic studies show it carries some C. frutescens material from a natural cross. In 2007 it became the first chili confirmed by Guinness World Records to exceed one million Scoville Heat Units; laboratory tests have placed it between roughly 855,000 and just over one million SHU. Its heat is famously deceptive, arriving several seconds after the bite and then building relentlessly. Beneath the burn is a slightly sweet, smoky-fruity flavor. In its home region it seasons pork and chutneys and was even used to deter wild elephants. Elsewhere it appears in hot sauces, spice blends, and endurance-style challenges, and it remains a parent of many modern superhot cultivars.
Last updated Oct 9, 2026
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- Photo credit: Semillas.de