Good news for all pepper masochists lovers, there is a new “world’s hottest” pepper to try. That honor used to be held by the Red Savina, a habanero cultivar. (This was the pepper responsible for almost killing Kevin and Dave Clark.) But scientists at New Mexico State University have recently announced that the Bhut Jolokia pepper from Assam is twice as hot.
(It seems to me that Australia is missing a trick here. It has the world’s most deadly spiders, snakes, jellyfish, sharks and so on. What’s up with the plant life?)
I should note that there’s an artificial ceiling on “world’s hottest pepper.”
There are several Asian chilis (Chinese chilis in particular) that we (the collective governmental “we”) consider inedible or toxic and are as such excluded. The folks growing them disagree.
I read the article. It’s no longer food. It’s a WMD.
When I was younger, I got hooked on jalapeños. I had built up such a tolerance for the things, I could and did eat them fresh off the bush and chase them down with a coke. But it destroyed my taste buds and I had to get things hotter and hotter so I could taste something. I backed off and slowly my system got back to a better balance.
I believe that hot peppers are good for you. But moderation is the key.
Right now I’m wanting to make a big pot of chili for the weekend.