Yesterday, I tasted the hottest pepper in the world, and lived to tell about it. It started out slow, and about 15 seconds later, it eventually numbed my tongue, the roof of my mouth, and my lips for about 15 minutes. Not really painful, but really warm. There really was no particular flavor. I swallowed very little of the actual pepper, but it was enough of a preview to know, what it would be like to partake of a larger portion, not a good idea. : > (
Bhut Jolokia (Ghost Pepper)
Yes, it’s the real deal. Confirmed by the Guinness Book of World Records as the hottest pepper in the world, Bhut Jolokia has a Scoville rating of just over 1 million units. This is twice as hot as the previous record holder, the Red Savina. This chile is also known as Bih Jolokia, Borbih, Dorset Naga, Ghost Pepper, Mirch, Mircha, Naga Morich, Naga Moresh Nagahari, Raja Chilli, Raja Mircha, and Tezpur. These chiles are light, and there are approximately 9 peppers in a 1/4 ounce.
The pepper is used as a spice in food or eaten alone. One seed from a Naga Jolokia can produce sustained intense pain sensations in the mouth for up to 30 minutes before subsiding. Extreme care should be taken when ingesting the pepper and its seeds, so as to not get it in the eyes. It is used as a cure for stomach ailments. It is also used as a remedy to summer heat, presumably by inducing perspiration.
In northeastern India the peppers are smeared on fences or used in smoke bombs as a safety precaution to keep wild elephants at a distance.
It's definitely the spice that keeps on giving, which isn't necessarily a good thing. If you like really hot food, then definitely give it a try. I tried a dried version, a fresh version may be even be more intense. But remember, in this case, less is more, so just cut a little piece, microscopic in size worked for me. "One small lick for man, one giant lick for mankind!"
