February 24, 2020
There is a common misconception that Indian food is unnecessarily spicy thanks to its use of traditional spices like cumin, mustard seeds, garam masala and turmeric. With this said, many dishes in Indian cuisine are actually spiced according to preference and the traditional ingredients are used as a starting guideline. After all, it is entirely possible to increase the heat of a traditionally mild curry by implementing a hot pepper or two! Read on as we go over five of the hottest peppers in the world…
With a rating of 2.2 million Scoville heat units, the Carolina Reaper is thought to be the world’s hottest pepper. It was developed by a grower named Ed Currie who is a self-proclaimed ‘mad scientist’ and makes hot sauces for a company named PuckerButt Pepper. The Carolina Reaper is at least 7 generations old and can induce vomiting, dehydration and shortness of breath which is why it should always be consumed in very small quantities.
Crafted in North-East India and Bangladesh, the Naga Morich pepper has a highly impressive rating of 1.5 million Scoville heat units which makes it the 6th hottest pepper in the world. It is thought to be closely related to the Ghost Pepper; however, it also has a sweet yet tarty flavour that is combined with the incredible heat that it possesses.
Notable for its ‘delayed reaction’ in which consumers will not experience the full wrath of its heat for several seconds, the Komodo Dragon chilli is the 9th hottest pepper in the world with a rating of 1.4 million Scoville heat units. Interestingly, it is grown by Salvatore Genovese, the UK’s largest pepper producer, in Bedfordshire.
Another English pepper is the Infinity Chili which was created by Nick Woods in Lincolnshire. In fact, this pepper is a hybrid of the capsicum chinense and even won a Guinness World Record title in 2011 for two weeks before it was overtaken by the Naga Viper. With a rating of 1.067 million Scoville heat units, the Infinity Chili is the 13th hottest pepper in the world and isn’t recommended for raw consumption.
Also known as the Bhut Jolokia, the Ghost Pepper was awarded the title of hottest pepper in the world back in 2006 as the Guinness World Records stated that it was 400 times hotter than Tabasco sauce. It has a rating of 1 million Scoville heat units, which is incredibly hot, however the race to create the world’s hottest pepper quickly led to this title being snatched away in 2011.
Here at Royal Nawaab, we pride ourselves on our variety of dishes that cater to the spice and heat preference of every client. After all, biryani may be the nation’s favourite, but some diners prefer the creamy goodness of an authentic korma! To find out more information about spicy peppers and other record-setting ingredients, get in contact with a member of the Royal Nawaab team or book at table at our Manchester or London based restaurant today!
