Naga Jolokia pepper
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 Fresh Naga Jolokia Peppers (whole and cut)
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| Capsicum chinense 'Naga Jolokia' |
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| Heat : Peak (SR: 1,041,427) |
The Naga Jolokia is a chili pepper found growing naturally in the army garrison town of Tezpur, in the northeastern state of Assam, India. Generally it can be found in the whole of NE India: Assam, Nagaland, Manipur as well as the adjacent country of Bangladesh. It is a naturally occurring chili. It was confirmed by Guinness World Records to be the hottest in the world, displacing the Red Savina for the top honours. Disagreement has arisen on whether it is a Capsicum frutescens or a Capsicum chinense. The Indians claim it is a C. frutescens,[1] but the derived cultivar Dorset Naga was assessed as a C. chinense. Recent DNA tests have found both C. chinense and C. frutescens genes.[2]
It is also called Bih Jolokia in some places 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), Borbih Jolokia, Nagahari, Nagajolokia, Naga Morich, Naga Moresh and Raja Mirchi ('King of Chillies'). Regardless the moniker, they all refer to the same chili with the name Naga possibly stemming from the extreme hotness represented by the aggressive temperament of the warriors of neighbouring Naga community.
Ripe Naga's measure 60mm - 85mm long and 25mm - 30mm 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.
[edit] Scoville rating
In 2000, scientists at India's Defence Research Laboratory (DRL) reported a rating of 855,000 units on the Scoville scale,[1][3] and in 2004 an Indian export company called Frontal Agritech obtained a rating of 1,041,427 units,[4] which would mean it is almost twice as hot as the Red Savina pepper and roughly equal to the similar-looking Dorset Naga,[5] which is derived from the Naga Jolokia. 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.[2][6]
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.[6][7]
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 climate (similar temperatures but less humid, much lower rainfall).[8]
[edit] Some morphological characteristics
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[edit] References
- ^ a b Mathur R, et al (2000). "The hottest chili variety in India". Current Science 79 (3).
- ^ a b Harald Zoschke, Dave DeWitt, Dr Paul Bosland (2007). Saga Jolokia - Searching for the new "World's Hottest Chile" (html). Retrieved on January 16, 2007.
- ^ Indian Defence Research Laboratory (html) (2006). Retrieved on December 12, 2006.
- ^ Scoville rating was obtained through HPLC analysis, unpublished claim. Bih jolokia (html) (2006). Retrieved on December 12, 2006.
- ^ Dorset Naga was developed as a hybrid of Naga Morich (another name for Naga Jolokia) by a couple in Dorset, England.
- ^ a b Shaline L. Lopez (2007). NMSU is home to the world’s hottest chile pepper (html). Retrieved on February 21, 2007.
- ^ Indian chilli world's hottest: Guinness (html) (2007). Retrieved on February 18, 2007.
- ^ Tiwari A, et al (2005). "Adaptability and production of hottest chili variety under Gwalior climatic conditions". Current Science 88 (10).
