Imagine yourself tasting the most spicy dish that pierces through your mouth with a firestorm of flames, when your taste buds explode within your mouth with an exhilarating rush of heat. Have you ever wondered what is the hottest chillie in the world? If you have a mouth for spicy foods, then in this article you will go through the hottest chillies from all over the world with their Scoville scale scores, as well as their origins and possible health benefits or risks. So, get ready to discover additional information on the top 10 hottest chillies that will simply amaze you with heat!
1. Carolina Reaper
Description
The hottest chili pepper in the world is the Carolina Reaper – a distinctive bulbous bumpy hot coated red gonzo of a chili pepper with a point at the end like a human tongue, and averaging at 1,569,300 units on the scoville scale, making it impossible to handle. The moment it hits your tongue a spice explosion takes place.
Region
The Carolina Reaper evolved in the US, South Carolina in particular, at the hands of Ed Currie, a chili pepper farmer and the founder of the PuckerButt Pepper Company. It’s now cultivated the world over.
Scoville Scale Score
According to the Scoville scale, a measure of peppery hotness named after Frank Scoville, creator of the pharmaceutical company that would become Squibb, the Carolina Reaper peaks at an off-the-charts 1.5 to 2.2 million Scoville Heat Units (SHU). By comparison, a typical jalapeño assesses at 2,500 to 8,000 SHU. The Carolina Reaper is hot. Very hot. Much hotter than is necessary, some would say.
Health Benefits/Risks
Though there’s no doubt the Carolina Reaper is an exceptionally potent pepper when it comes to heat, its usefulness when it comes to health is still up for debate. Despite rumours that spicy foods like the Carolina Reaper might provide pain relief, speed your digestion, or burn fat, it’s still a bit early to verify these claims. We do know that eating such a super hot chilli can put considerable stress on the body, especially for those with sensitive stomachs or pre-existing conditions like gastritis. Ultimately, if you’re lucky enough to get your hands on a Carolina Reaper, you’d do well to proceed with caution.
2. Trinidad Moruga Scorpion
Description
The Trinidad Moruga Scorpion is another chili admired (or despised) for its heat, although this one is wrongly named Scorpion and looks more like some kind of alien than a scorpion. With a wrinkled surface and brightly colored, it has wider wings than the Carolina Reaper on both sides of its pointed tail. Needless to say, the Trinidad pepper has a real bite.
Region
Bred in the tiny islands of Trinidad and Tobago in the district of Moruga, the pepper is a jewel of the Caribbean, where it is grown in temperate climates that have just the right amount of heat and humidity for it to thrive.
Scoville Scale Score
The Trinidad Moruga Scorpion is among the hottest chili peppers on the planet, reaching anywhere from 1.2 million to 2 million SHU on the Scoville scale. This makes it one of the spiciest peppers, just under the Carolina Reaper.
Health Benefits/Risks
Like other spicy peppers, the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion could be good for you. One study suggests that the capsaicin it contains could have anti-inflammatory and pain-killing properties, but it should be consumed in moderation to avoid gastrointestinal upset, especially for those who are sensitive to spicy foods.
3. 7 Pot Douglah
Description
Probably one of the most sought-after chili peppers is the 7 Pot Douglah, or Chocolate 7 Pod, for its wrinkly, deep chocolaty color and for its distinguishing spiciness – hence the ‘7 Pot’. ’7 Pot’ represents that one pepper is enough to spice up seven pots of stew.
Region
The 7 Pot Douglah hails from the small, tropical island of Trinidad, so calls the town of Douglah home. Its searing heat comes from the same hot, moist conditions.
Scoville Scale Score
This pepper belongs among the hottest in the world – a blistering 800,000 to 1.8 million SHU on the Scoville scale – in the company of the Carolina Reaper and the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion.
Health Benefits/Risks
Like other chili peppers, the 7 Pot Douglah contains capsaicin, which in modest doses enhances the flavour of many spicy foods, and has been shown to reduce pain and increase metabolism. But its high heat level may be more than some stomachs can take, so it’s a good idea to pay attention to whatever discomfort it might cause.
4. 7 Pot Primo
Description
The Bulbous-lipped 7 Pot Primo, a bullet-headed chili capsicum, comes from the new Orleans series of hybrids . From its bulbous, wrinkly body adorned in myriad dots and flecks, growing out of a chamber on top of itself, culminating in a point, to the glistening translucent red that covers its skin, this exotic 7 Pot pepper looks like a tropical fruit.
Region
While originally cultivated on the exotic island of Trinidad and Tobago, the 7 Pot Primo thrives in the Caribbean’s tropical climate – it grows big and spicy from the region’s hot, humid weather. Standing upright and garbled with leaves, the pepper is able to absorb lots of sunlight.
Scoville Scale Score
The 7 Pot Primo, found in the upper quartile of the Scoville scale, has a burn of 1 to 1.5 million SHU, an inferno of spice, topped by only a select few.
Health Benefits/Risks
While the hot pepper family is said to have certain benefits, like a boost in metabolism and anti-inflammatory pain relief, with the 7 Pot Primo you will pay in heat for these benefits. Its very high capsaicin levels can give you gastrointestinal problems on the way out, most notably for people with delicate stomachs.
5. Bhut Jolokia (Ghost Pepper)
Description
The leafy wonder is considered to be the hottest chili pepper in the world and is also known as the Ghost Pepper, native to Northeast India. This prized variety was named ‘ghost’ because the intense heat of the pepper’s bite is seemingly ‘ghostly’. The Bhut Jolokia pepper has a vivid red colour and a rough, wrinkled skin.
Region
This fiery pepper comes from the northeastern Indian states of Assam, Nagaland and Manipur, where subtropical temperatures and rich soil were its perfect homes.
Scoville Scale Score
The Ghost Pepper is one of the world’s hottest peppers, ranking 855,000 to 1.041 million on the Scoville scale, and it’s featured regularly as an extreme spicy food ingredient on TV and in newspapers.
Health Benefits/Risks
There’s evidence that the Bhut Jolokia might even be good for you, inasmuch as capsaicin has been tentatively linked to pain relief, faster metabolism and reduced inflammation. But in concentrations like these, it’s really quite hard to swallow. Don’t go berserk with that capsicum.
6. Naga Viper
Description
The Naga Viper is one of the hottest peppers in the chili arsenal, an incendiary capsicum capsule with an appealing appearance to match its bone-marrow melting incendiary qualities. It has an elongated shape and a bumpy exterior, its waxy rind a vibrant scarlet or orange.
Region
So how do you satisfy the ever-increasing appetite for spiciness on the part of world consumers? You make a pepper so hot that another pepper already known as the hottest in the world starts to feel like a mere contender by comparison. So it goes that the Naga Viper was hatched in the UK, the result of genius breeding work by Gerald Fowler of the Chili Pepper Company in Essex, developed in 2008 from a hybrid of a Bhut Jolokia, a Naga Morich, and a Trinidad Douglah pepper. Where no one would have expected it, the world spiced up.
Scoville Scale Score
At 900,000 to 1.3 million SHU on the Scoville scale, it’s one of the hottest peppers in the world, and a leading contender for the hottest chili in the world. Its Scoville heat units (SHU) are 900,000 to 1.3 million. Only 15 or so peppers on Earth come close.
Health Benefits/Risks
The fact that capsaicin could have health benefits such as decreasing inflammation or pain relief, might be offset by the ‘danger’ of a pepper so hot that swallowing can produce gastrointestinal distress or burn.
7. 7 Pot Barrackpore
Description
The 7 Pot Barrackpore chili pepper is potent and varied. It’s crinkled and bright red, and its name touts ‘The best to give flavour to 7 pots of stew.’
Region
This hot chili pepper originates in Trinidad on the island of Barrackpore, which has a tropical climate. The sun-soaked region provides the perfect environment for this chili pepper to flourish.
Scoville Scale Score
At 800,000 to 1 million SHU (for comparison, a jalapeño scores just 2,500 to 8,000 SHU), the 7 Pot Barrackpore ranks among the hottest peppers in the world. It is a beloved item in the pantheon of superhot peppers, capturing the attention of chili enthusiasts worldwide.
Health Benefits/Risks
While it might have some of the benefits associated with all capsaicin-rich foods, such as a stronger metabolism, decreased pain and an aphrodisiac effect, this chili is so high in Scoville heat units that a smaller portion can feel like a nuclear-spice attack on your digestive system. Should you decide to test your tolerance, proceed with caution, especially if you have a sensitive stomach or a digestive disorder.
8. Red Savina Habanero
Description
The Red Savina Habanero is no ordinary chili pepper. With its vibrant red color and small, lantern-like shape, it captures the imagination of spice enthusiasts. This pepper is known for its intense heat and distinct fruity flavor.
Region
Hailing from the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico, the Red Savina Habanero is now widely grown all over the world in tropical and subtropical climates, where they thrive in the Sun and fertilising soils.
Scoville Scale Score
The Scoville scale allows us to see the Red Savina Habanero’s spiciness : 350,000 to 577,000 SHU. Known as the world’s hottest habanero, it’s a must for the experienced chillihead.
Health Benefits/Risks
With the fruity, sweet flavours of the Red Savina Habanero comes the promise of an incredible amount of heat. With 577,000 Scoville Heat Units, it can relieve pain, soothe upset stomachs and provide digestive benefits, provided that it doesn’t burn your eyes and mouth. Capsaicin, the bitter component in the pod, creates the heat through a protein that triggers the release of endorphins – chemicals associated with a feeling of wellbeing. Just be careful: for people with stomach problems, this pepper is not your friend. If you eat too much of it as a first timer, you’ll be stuck on the toilet the rest of the night.
9. Scotch Bonnet
Description
The Scotch Bonnet pepper is a small but mighty chili known for its vibrant colors and fiery heat. With its round shape and distinctively wrinkled skin, it visually resembles a Scotsman’s traditional tam o’ shanter hat. This pepper certainly demands attention on both the plate and the Scoville scale.
Region
The Scotch bonnet pepper is native to Jamaica and other islands in the Caribbean. This is where it is most prominent in the diet. The pepper grows in a hot, tropical climate, which helps the fruit develop its characteristic heat and flavour.
Scoville Scale Score
They’re rated 100,000 to 350,000 SHU on the Scoville scale, which puts Scotch Bonnets among the hottest chilis in the world. The Scotch Bonnet’s spiciness is epic in scale, difficult to forget, and a key ingredient in Caribbean and West African foods.
Health Benefits/Risks
Like other chillies, it contains capsaicin, which has been known to help with pain relief and digestion, but can also irritate those with sensitive stomachs or other digestive conditions. Use with care, and be aware of your limits!
10. Habanero Pepper
Description
The Habanero is the darling of chili aficionados who share a love for its heat and for its slightly fruity flavour. It is a lantern-like pepper with smooth skin, heart-shaped, and coloured from orange to red.
Region
The Habanero came from the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico. From there, it spread around the world and came to rest in any land where warm humidity and abundant sunlight let it flourish.
Scoville Scale Score
On the Scoville scale, the Habanero shows why it lives up to its reputation for spiciness: a massive range of 100,000 to 350,000 SHU. It’s hot, no question, and it always adds a zing to anything as it’s one of the world’s hottest chilli peppers.
Health Benefits/Risks
Capsaicin, the spice behind Habanero’s heat, has been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects that can ease pain and, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center, even speed up the metabolism, burning extra calories. But because of its burning effect in the stomach, this pepper should be avoided for those prone to digestive upset. Diners should go easy on the extra-spicy peppers, and pay attention to their tolerance.
These are the ten hottest chili peppers in the world, and the journey of discovery might begin with the fruity kick of the Habanero Pepper and escalate to the tongue scorching of the Naga Viper. The Carolina Reaper is the hands down hot pepper in the world today. Each one of these peppers comes with a little heat filled history, a little taste of discovery and adventure. Whether you are a chili enthusiast seeking the ultimate heat or a curious foodie looking to expand your culinary horizons, these peppers are sure to set your taste buds ablaze!
