Bhut Jolokia pepper

Bhut Jolokia chili
Fresh Bhut Jolokia Peppers (whole and cut)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Solanales
Family:	Solanaceae
Genus:	Capsicum
Species:	C. chinense, C. frutescens
Subspecies:	C. c. cultivar Bhut Jolokia
Trinomial name
Capsicum chinense 'Bhut Jolokia

The bhut jolokia—also known variously by other names in its native region, most commonly naga jolokia—is a chili pepper generally recognized as the hottest in the world. The pepper is often called the ghost chili by Western media,^[1][2][3] possibly erroneously.^[4]

The Bhut Jolokia is a naturally-occurring interspecific hybrid from the Assam region of northeastern India.^[5][6] It grows in the Indian states of Assam, Nagaland and Manipur, and the Sylhet region of Bangladesh. It can also be found in rural Sri Lanka where it is known as Nai Mirris (Cobra Chilli). There was initially some confusion and disagreement about whether the Bhut was a Capsicum frutescens^[7] or a Capsicum chinense pepper, but DNA tests showed it to be an interspecies hybrid, mostly C. chinense with some C. frutescens genes.^[8] In 2007, Guinness World Records certified the Bhut Jolokia as the world's hottest chili pepper, 400 times hotter than Tabasco sauce.^[9]

Etymology

The pepper is called different names in different regions. An article in the Asian Age newspaper stated that experts in Assam are worried about a distortion of the colloquial nomenclature of "Bhot" to "bhut", saying that this word was misinterpreted by the (Western) media to mean "ghost".^[4] The article stated that people living north of the Brahmaputra River call the pepper "Bhot jolokia", "Bhot" meaning "of Bhotiya origin", or something that has come from the hills of adjoining Bhutan; on the southern bank of the river Brahmaputra, this chili becomes Naga jolokia, believed to have originated from the hills of Nagaland.^[4] An alternative source for Naga jolokia is that the name originates from the ferocious Naga warriors who once inhabited Nagaland.^[10] Further complicating matters, a 2009 paper, published in the Asian Agri-History journal, coined the English term "Naga king chili" and stated that the most common Indian (Assamese) usage is bhoot jolokia,^[11][12] which refers to the chili's large pod size, and gives the alternate common name as bih jolokia (bih means "poison" in Assamese, denoting the plant's heat). The assertion that bhut (bhoot) means "ghost" is claimed by researchers from the New Mexico State University, but as in the article from the Asian Age, denied by Indian researchers from Nagaland University.^[8][11] The Assamese word "jolokia" simply means the Capsicum pepper.^[8][13] The chili is also known as Naga morich in Bangladesh (morich meaning "pepper").^[14] Other usages on the subcontinent are saga jolokia, Indian mystery chili, and Indian rough chili (after the chili's rough skin).^[11][15] It has also been called the Tezpur chili after the Assamese city of Tezpur.^[10] In Manipur, the chili is called umorok,^[16] or oo-morok (oo = "tree", morok = "chili").

Scoville rating

In 2000, India's Defence Research Laboratory (DRL) reported a rating of 855,000 units on the Scoville scale,^[7] and in 2004 a rating of 1,041,427 units was made using HPLC analysis.^[17] For comparison, Tabasco red pepper sauce rates at 2,500–5,000, and pure capsaicin (the chemical responsible for the pungency of pepper plants) rates at 15,000,000–16,000,000 Scoville units.^[18]

In 2005, at New Mexico State University Chile Pepper Institute near Las Cruces, New Mexico, regents Professor Paul Bosland found bhut jolokia grown from seed in southern New Mexico to have a Scoville rating of 1,001,304 SHU by HPLC.^[5]

In February 2007, Guinness World Records published that the bhut jolokia was the hottest chili pepper ever submitted for judgment.^[5][19]

The effect of climate on the Scoville rating of bhut jolokia peppers is dramatic. A 2005 study comparing percentage availability of capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin in bhut jolokia peppers grown in Tezpur (Assam) and Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh) showed that the heat of the pepper is decreased by over 50% in Gwalior's more arid climate.^[20]

Characteristics

Ripe peppers measure 60 to 85 mm (2.4 to 3.3 in) long and 25 to 30 mm (1.0 to 1.2 in) wide with an orange or red color. The unselected strain of Bhut Jolokia from India is an extremely variable plant, with a wide range in fruit sizes and amount of fruit production per plant, and offers a huge potential for developing much better strains through selection in the future. Bhut Jolokia pods are unique among peppers, with their characteristic shape, and their unusual rough, dented and very thin skin.^[21]

Uses

The pepper is used in India in homeopathic preparations for stomach ailments. It is also used as a spice as well as a remedy to summer heat, presumably by inducing perspiration in the consumer.^[6] In northeastern India, the peppers are smeared on fences or incorporated in smoke bombs as a safety precaution to keep wild elephants at a distance.^[22][23]

As a weapon

In 2009, scientists at India's Defence Research and Development Organisation announced plans to use the chillies in hand grenades, as a non lethal way to flush out terrorists from their hideouts and to control rioters. It will also be developed into pepper spray as a self defense product.^[24][25]

R. B. Srivastava, the director of the Life Sciences Department at the New Delhi headquarters of India's Defence Research and Development Organisation said. Srivastava, who led a defense research laboratory in Assam, said trials are also on to produce bhut jolokia-based aerosol sprays to be used by potential victims against attackers and for the police to control and disperse mobs.^[26]

Gallery

References