Naga Jolokia pepper

Naga Jolokia chili
Fresh Naga Jolokia peppers
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 Naga Jolokia
Trinomial name
Capsicum chinense 'Naga Jolokia

The Naga jolokia; Transliteration: naga morich), as it is commonly known—also known variously by other names in its native region, sometimes Bhut jolokia'—is a chili pepper formerly recognized as the hottest in the world (it has since been overtaken by the Naga Viper). The pepper is occasionally called the ghost chili by U.S. media,^[1][2][3] possibly erroneously.^[4]

The Naga Jolokia is an interspecific hybrid from the Assam region of northeastern India and parts of neighbouring Bangladesh.^[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 Naga 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 Naga Jolokia as the world's hottest chili pepper, 401.5 times hotter than Tabasco sauce.^[9] As of December 3, 2010, the Naga Jolokia is no longer the hottest known chili pepper; it has been replaced by the Naga Viper, which has an average peak Scoville rating more than 300,000 points higher than an average Naga Jolokia - but still not higher than the hottest ever recorded Dorset Naga.^[10]

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.^[11] 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,^[12][13] 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][12] The Assamese word "jolokia" simply means the Capsicum pepper. 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).^[12][15] It has also been called the Tezpur chili after the Assamese city of Tezpur.^[11] 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 Naga Jolokia was the hottest chili pepper ever submitted for judgment.^[5][19]

The effect of climate on the Scoville rating of Naga Jolokia peppers is dramatic. A 2005 study comparing percentage availability of capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin in Naga 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 Naga 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. Naga 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 peppers 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 (who also 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]

Dorset Naga

Dorset Naga (Capsicum chinensis) is a Scotch Bonnet/habanero chilli, originally selected from the Bangladeshi chilli, naga morich.

Annually, since 2005, the heat level of Dorset Naga has been tested, taking samples from different sites, various seasons and states of maturity. The heat level has ranged from 661,451 SHU for green fruit in 2007, up to 1,032,310 SHU for ripe fruit harvested in 2009.^[27]

High as the results were, the BBC's Gardeners' World television programme recorded a much higher heat level for Dorset Naga. As part of the 2006 programming, the BBC gardening team ran a trial looking at several chilli varieties, including Dorset Naga. Heat levels were tested by Warwick HRI and the Dorset Naga came in at 1,598,227 SHU, the hottest heat level ever recorded for a chilli.^[28]

See also

• List of capsicum cultivars
• Scoville scale

Gallery

References