Like It Hot? Here Are the Top 10 Hottest Peppers to Cook With
Do you love spicy food? Are you tired of the usual spicy cuisines in town? Then maybe you need to up the ante a bit.
Perhaps you have to try some of the hottest peppers in the world today.
The history of peppers and their impact on the culinary world date back to as early as 5,000 BC in Mexico. Today, people add peppers to their food for various reasons. Aside from adding spice, people also use peppers for their health benefits.
But if you’re after the spiciness, you need to try the hottest the world has to offer. What types of peppers are the hottest?
Continue reading below as we rank the 10 must-try peppers for ultimate spice lovers.
Measuring the Hotness
Before we proceed with the list, we must first understand how people measure the spice level of the peppers. They use the Scoville Heat Unit (SHU) to measure the spiciness of the peppers.
Through the SHU, experts measure the concentration of capsaicinoids inside the peppers. These are the chemicals that create the spicy sensation of the peppers. The higher the SHU values, the hotter the peppers are.
Top 10 Hottest Peppers: The Sizzling Countdown
Listing the 10 hottest peppers in the world is no easy task. Pepper growers crossbreed different varieties to increase the spice level. This is the reason why some peppers go up or down in the annual rankings.
Nevertheless, the peppers in the list are must-tries for any spice lover. So if you’re planning to build a custom hot sauce box, any of these 10 hottest peppers are worthy of a spot. Let’s take a look at them below:
7 Pot Jonah (1,200,000 SHU)
Sitting at number 10 is the 7 Pot Jonah. It belongs to the family of 7 pot peppers that originate from the Caribbean Island of Trinidad. Experts say that one pod can spice up to seven pots of stew, hence, the name “7 pot.”
The 7 Pot Jonah comes with large and round strain pods. It can grow a size that is larger than a golf ball. It can also weigh as much as half an ounce.
Moreover, it gives off a fruitier taste compared to other peppers. It starts with a green color then matures into red.
7 Pot Barrackpore (1,300,000 SHU)
Another one coming from the 7 Pot family, this pepper hails from Barrackpore in Trinidad. Unlike the Jonah, the Barrackpore comes with an elongated and wrinkled pod structure. If you survive the heat, you will enjoy a fruity flavor towards the end.
Ghost Pepper (1,041, 427 SHU)
Also known as the Bhut Jolokia, the Ghost Pepper once held the distinction as the “World’s Hottest of All Spices.” The Guinness World Records recognized the Ghost Pepper as the hottest back in 2006.
It also drew a large following on YouTube. It was the pepper of choice among people who took on the pepper-eating challenge. Furthermore, it was the first pepper ever to score 1 million in the Scoville Heat Unit.
You can say that it is one of the old reliables.
Naga Viper (1,349,000 SHU)
The top 10 list will not be complete without one of the rare ones. The Naga Viper comes from the United Kingdom and developed by Gerald Fowler. It is a hybrid of different pepper types, resulting from several years of cross-pollination.
The peppers involved in the hybrid were there Naga Morich, the Trinidad Scorpion, and the Bhut Jolokia or Ghost Pepper. True to its name, the Naga Viper is like a snake because of its stinging sensation.
Some people say that it is even capable of peeling paint.
Komodo Dragon (1,400,000 SHU)
Following the Viper is the Komodo Dragon. Hailing from the 7 Pot family, this pepper comes from the seven-acre farm of Salvatore Genovese. Genovese is the UK’s largest chili producer.
Genovese tries to create hotter varieties every year. “It’s the really hot ones that gain the most interest and so each year I try and grow one hotter than the last” the chili grower shared.
Like some of its 7 Pot siblings, the Komodo Dragon also comes with a fruity taste. But then again, you can only taste its fruitiness if you survive the hotness.
Interestingly, it is around 150 times hotter than your jalapeno pepper.
7 Pot Primo (1,473, 480 SHU)
Another pepper from the 7 Pot family is the Primo. It is a cross between the Naga Morich and the Trinidad 7 Pots.
You can distinguish it through its long and skinny tail. It is also one of the rarest peppers out there. And like the other 7 Pot peppers, it also comes with a fruity taste that complements its spiciness.
Dorset Naga Chili Pepper (1,500,000 SHU)
Hailing from Dorset, England, the Dorset Naga traces its roots to 2001. It was the time when Michael and Joy Michaud purchased a Naga Morich plant.
The plant originated in Bangladesh and is one of the most sought-after plants in the country. They mixed the plant and grew it over the years until reaching the perfect heat level in 2005.
7 Pot Douglah (1,853,936 SHU)
The distinguishing mark of the Douglah, apart from its intense spice level, is its dark, chocolate brown skin. Some people call it the Chocolate Pod 7 or 7 Pot Brown.
It grows about two inches long and develops a rough habanero shape. Like its siblings, it also comes from Trinidad. It is also one of the rarest peppers to date.
Trinidad Moruga Scorpion (2,000,000 SHU)
Taking the second spot on our list is the Moruga Scorpion from Trinidad. Back in 2012, the New Mexico Chile Conference recognized it as the world’s hottest chili pepper. Though Guinness has yet to certify its hotness, there is no doubt it can set your mouth on fire with its 2,000,000 SHU.
The Carolina Reaper (2,200,000 SHU)
Taking the top spot, and probably famously the world’s hottest pepper is the famous Carolina Reaper. Clocking in a 2,200,000 SHU, the Carolina Reaper was a creation of Ed Currie. But before it became the world’s hottest, it passed through a variety of crosses.
The Reaper is a mix of the Red Habanero from St. Vincent’s Island and the Pakistani Naga. It is over 200 times hotter than the jalapeno.
It also features a fruity taste at the end and a stinger tail that makes it stand out. You cannot call yourself a certified “pepperhead” if you have yet to taste this.
Discover Nature’s Gifts
Now that you know the world’s hottest peppers, you can start your spicy journey by hunting them down one-by-one. As for the other culinary gifts of nature, there is much for everyone to learn.
Check out our other articles on food and cooking. We feature interesting stories that will make you appreciate what you eat.