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The world’s hottest chilli pepper

timesonline.co.uk — Some chillis are fierce enough to make your eyes water. Anyone foolhardy enough to eat a whole Dorset Naga would almost certainly require hospital treatment.

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  • Emaze, on 10/12/2007, -20/+77My guess is either Flea or Anthony Kiedis. The ladies like both of them, no?
    • voldak, on 10/12/2007, -26/+7Anthony has messed up teeth. Flea looks smelly. Chad Smith seems like the best choice.
    • ragipy, on 10/12/2007, -23/+15I would bet John, he has that "I dont care I almost died once anyway" look
    • rockforever, on 10/12/2007, -17/+91.Tony Flow is the number one choice guys.

      2. But was this pepper grown by inmates of a Guatemalan insane asylum?
    • Innagadadavida, on 10/12/2007, -13/+6@ragipy

      I don't know why you got dugg down, man. That was funny as hell.
    • pseudojd, on 10/12/2007, -11/+6Flea FTW!
    • nzknzknzk, on 10/12/2007, -1/+261,000,000 scoville units? Thats for sissies. Real men eat pure capsaicin.
    • dclowd9901, on 10/12/2007, -1/+31When does a chili pepper stop becoming "hot", and just start corroding your fleshy human insides, like a potent acid? I'm curious. This just doesn't seem to be a safe thing to consume.
    • nepawoods, on 10/12/2007, -0/+22@dclowd9901

      "When does a chili pepper stop becoming "hot", and just start corroding your fleshy human insides, like a potent acid? I'm curious. This just doesn't seem to be a safe thing to consume."

      Actually, they don't actually "burn". The chemical in hot peppers that makes them hot is falsely registered by pain sensors in our skin.
    • florin, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10@dclowd9901
      Never. The pain is caused by capsaicin stimulating the nerve terminations directly, not by a corrosive chemical burning the flesh. So it hurts, but there's no actual injury.
    • mariowario, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2In my analytical chem lab that im taking right now..about two labs ago we had a capsaicin lab. Some guy got a hotsauce that registered about 50k on the scoville scale....his extraction of capsaicin was blood red. Mines was only a few thousand..only cuase i forgot we had lab that day and picked one up at the cafeteria..hah
    • Rosco, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1Pepper spray is for sissy's. Tastes like breakfast to me.
    • Ramtech, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1@dclowd9901

      Yeah its not healthy at all.. and it makes women grow hair.. i mean.. look at some mexican woman from mexico..
    • aragon127, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1923k scoville units isn't that much. Many of the true "hot sauces" have far more than that. They are made with pure capsaicin.

      I put some 1m extract on a fajita once(ate about 3tbs worth). Burned like hell for about half an hour. Drank some milk, ate some ice cream, chewed some bread. But I was fine 30minutes later.

      I did NOT require hospitilization. I call total shenanigans on that part of the article. I didn't even experience the "burns coming out too".
  • billlyboobs34, on 10/12/2007, -4/+19Where can I buy one?!
    • osirisothedead, on 10/12/2007, -2/+23Grow your own. Seeds are available here:

      http://www.reimerseeds.com/dorset-naga-hot-peppers.aspx

      Expensive, though. $15 for 5 seeds.
    • billlyboobs34, on 10/12/2007, -5/+14Fine, digg me down, screw you guys. I'm going to try one when they come out from

      http://www.peppersbypost.biz/types.asp

      Thanks osirisothedead
    • PowerCow, on 10/12/2007, -1/+18@billlyboobs34:

      "Under no circumstances should one of these chillies be left where an unwitting person, especially a child, might handle them."

    • squeevey, on 10/12/2007, -2/+14Billy, I'm down with ya. I love the endorphin rush. The best way to eat spicy food. Drink a beer first, or a shot. Then, eat your spicy food. Your body starts processin a bit faster, the endorphins plus the shot, double awesome.
    • Neiby, on 10/12/2007, -0/+19@billyboobs34

      Please write us from the hospital bed. :-)
    • skankyBacon, on 10/12/2007, -0/+18Feels just as spicy on the way out as well, I'll wager.
    • Midnightbrewer, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I unwittingly ate a whole habanero once. It did indeed burn on the way out.
  • TenMinuteParty, on 10/12/2007, -1/+36Yeah, I think Homer Simpson ate one and hallucinated.
  • dante2010, on 10/12/2007, -32/+4Wrong.. the worlds hottest chili pepper is in my pants.
    • DoodlesMcPooh, on 10/12/2007, -1/+13That has got to burn! ouch!
    • MonkeyMCSE, on 10/12/2007, -0/+11they have an ointment for that, you might want to go see a doctor
    • tmesis, on 10/12/2007, -0/+21The hottest chili peppers are usually minuscule...
    • wikk!d, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3on a related note, remember... wash your hands after handling these peppers. you never know when you'll have to run to the bathroom
  • 42nnn, on 10/12/2007, -19/+2{Deleted}
  • Jeveran, on 10/12/2007, -16/+4This looks like a pleasant addition to British culinary arts.
  • 2tomato, on 10/12/2007, -13/+4never enough..
  • Easty, on 10/12/2007, -5/+16What does everyone use to neutralise chili? Milk, water, beer, something else or do you just sit it out like a man?
    • Emaze, on 10/12/2007, -23/+7Man up and act like you have a sack. Don't eat spicy food if you need to neutralize it.
    • Xeth, on 10/12/2007, -4/+6Vodka
    • zephc, on 10/12/2007, -1/+16Guacamole, of course, just as Odin intended it.
    • EXreaction, on 10/12/2007, -0/+15"Don't eat spicy food if you need to neutralize it."

      Some people have stomachs that just can not handle that all the time. I love spicy food, but I will be up all night if it is too spicy and I don't have something like ice cream or some other dairy product at some point(doesn't have to be with it right away, but sometime after).

      If your stomach is fine with it consider yourself lucky. Too much of anything even moderately spicy, for me, is like someone stabbing a fork in my stomach.
    • giveer, on 10/12/2007, -6/+4Neutralizing "spice" - is very similar to acid or basic chemicals. This makes it sound more technical than it really is, but something with a very high Skoville or acidic content is best neutralized with something with that is equally high in a basic content. Milk, albeit weak, is a base. Coke, mind you, is not.
    • kiii, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5@giveer
      Milk is actually slightly acidic, not slightly basic.
      http://www.mpcfaculty.net/mark_bishop/pH_range.jpg
    • hiPpymIck, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2dyou have pickled/golden peppers in the US?
      no heat but major layers/levels of sour sweet sour weird effects
      good with erm.....kebabmeat
    • gr8edchz, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Sugar water sprayed in the mouth like mist. From a spray pump or something of that nature.
    • Backpacker, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4giveer...That might apply to irritation you'd get in your stomach, but it's actually the hydrophobic quality of capsaicin that you need to neutralize to get it out of your mouth. That's why drinking water doesn't do anything...it's like mixing oil and water, so the water just runs off. If you drink milk (which has a decent amount of fat), or eat buttered or oiled bread, you'll get the heat off your tongue in no time. I imagine soap would do the same thing, but I've never tried it. For more info on this, check wikipedia

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capsaicin
    • yalskey, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4Milk, bread, and all the other crap people recommend to cool down the burn DO NOT work for this kind of heat. Believe me, I have hot pepper extracts in my frig that are into the millions of scoville units. I know heat, and love it.

      Once you get into this realm of heat, nothing can take away the pain. For me, drinking anything (especially water) makes it even hotter. I've tried milk, and believe me, it doesn't work worth a damn.
    • nepawoods, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Guacamole is the only thing I've ever found to work.
    • florin, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Please disregard the acidic/base nonsense above.

      The pain is caused by capsaicin stimulating the nerves directly. It is not a chemical burn.

      Capsaicin dissolves pretty well in fat but not so well in water. So drink or eat something that contains fat. Whole milk is a good idea. Chewing fatty bacon works too, albeit your actual results will vary.
    • SamKellett, on 10/12/2007, -3/+2Lactose stuff: milk, cheese, cream, etc...
    • florin, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Ah, yes, guacamole might work too, it contains a respectable amount of fat.

      @SamKellett
      Lactose does nothing. It's the fat in some milk products that dissolves the capsaicin so removes (some) pain.
  • bixing, on 10/12/2007, -6/+13Chili peppers induce an endorphin rush. Much on a nice habanero.

    It hurts the ***** outta your mouth but... kinda interesting.

    Um, also wash your hands before using the bathroom. I had a bad experience with that. It woulda been worse had I been looking at porn!
    • Relentl3ss, on 10/12/2007, -0/+29@bixing -

      Also wash VERY hard if you are invited upstairs by your partner - It turns out that habanero flavored fingers and lady bits don't mix.
    • xobecide, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8On the contrary, mon ami... my lady friend awhile back is latino and it was a turn on.
    • tmesis, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3It does hurt the mouth, but it's the pain experienced on its way out that makes baby Jesus cry.
    • NtHammer, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6i hope you mean LATINA (notice the feminine A at the end)

    • NtHammer, on 10/12/2007, -7/+1god dammit digg
    • Thuktun, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4As an added bonus, the linked article spells "habanero" wrong.
    • Antha, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6@ Relentl3ss...

      Being female, I can definitely back up your story. I have ended up sitting on the floor with an icy glass of bourbon terrectly on my naughty bits. Ay dios mio!
    • bixing, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Yeah, that pain freaked me out until I found out what it was.

      I thought I had some random case of herpes (it took a while before it really set in). Wooo, it was the worse sensation I've ever felt. I was kinda laughing, but very confused.. then my girlfriend jokingly said, "What else did you do with those peppers?!"

      Then it clicked.. "Oh damn, I didn't wash my hands before using the bathroom..." It lasted a good 40 minutes. It *really* burned, too. It's like the pain in your mouth that you feel... 100% on other parts.
  • themarq, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4I can't help but notice that this article shows a publish date of April 1/2006. No I am not complaining that it's old, just wondering if it's a joke.

    April Fool!
    • cheez, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Maybe, but the scoville heat unit is how they measure spicyness so I don't think it is.
  • EXreaction, on 10/12/2007, -4/+2I want a picture!
  • OMGWTFROFLMAO, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1weren't these eaten on fear factor?
    • nepawoods, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1They used habaneros, which these are apparently the hottest known variety of.
    • Karmalary, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Habeneros are widely considered to be the hostest pepper, closely followed by Scotch bonnets.
  • Phssthpok, on 10/12/2007, -11/+3Wanting to eat the hottest Chili Pepper makes as much sense as drinking out of a beer bong.
    Lets have a contest to see how much snake venom we can survive!



  • Xanin, on 10/12/2007, -2/+15What's with all the boasting comments? "I can eat 14" or "the hottest chilli is in my pants"

    It seems the mean age of the Digg user has dropped to about 12.
    • habubu, on 10/12/2007, -1/+19My dad can beat up your dad.
    • Tenlow, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7I bet you were mean too when you were 12.
    • Xanin, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6I'm not talking about being mean...I just don't get why some feel the need to boast on the internet of all places o.0
    • hiPpymIck, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1 base(ment) human nature......

      men will grow out of it one day.........
  • endernet, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4More info on the Hotness Factor: (With Picture)

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scoville_scale
  • SwissCamel, on 10/12/2007, -8/+3I heard that if you eat the chilli, you get AIDS?
  • intense321, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5I always thought there was a Chiltepin that was grown that measured higher than 923,000. I remember reading that there were several reported deaths from eating the peppers produced by that single plant.
    • billlyboobs34, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5A local child where I am from ate a pepper by accident and was temporarily hospitalized in a coma.
  • EricAnderton, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7"Mrs Michaud was stunned when the Dorset Naga gave a reading of nearly 900,000SHU. A fresh sample was sent to a lab in New York used by the American Spice Trade Association and recorded a mouth-numbing 923,000SHUs."

    Um, that's a little more than "mouth-numbing" there, cowboy. I think that crosses the line from "edible" to "toxic". For comparison, Mace rates in at 2-5 million HSU, so a mere handful of these would be considered "crowd control" strength.

    @easty: I think you'd use milk. And going by the measurement here, you'd need about a gallon of it if you ate one of these. Come to think of it, a taster so-equipped would probably pass out from the pain before they could get the lid off.
  • Supernova36, on 10/12/2007, -5/+4I'm from Dorset.
    • SilverGinger5, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Interestingly enough (or perhaps in no way interesting at all), I'm also from Dorset originally. About 10 miles or so from where these chillis are grown. Might be time to go visit the family and then on to raid a chilli farm...
    • Supernova36, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1I'm about 25 miles out.
  • pron*, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10Dugg for 'gobsmacked'.
  • knupso, on 10/12/2007, -3/+6"The couple are now seeking Plant Variety Protection from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which will mean that no one else can sell the seeds. "

    Great these jerk offs are copy righting seeds.
    I wonder what **AA organization is going to save us from seed pirates?
    • billlyboobs34, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9Let them control the seeds... you can be the first person to sequence the DNA, patent the gene sequence that makes it so hot. Then you can sue the seed distributors,
    • giveer, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Seeds and growth of products can be controlled, but seeds can't be copywritten. Anything that grows naturally can't be copywritten as 'someone's idea'. Which, if I remember the debate correctly, is partially why the Medical association can't just turn around and buy-out homoeopathic medicines.
    • NtHammer, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2the dont want anyone else SELLING the seeds, which i can understand why if they created the seed by crosspollination or something like that, but not if they bought it at some oriental shop...
    • nepawoods, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1They found it in Bangladesh, they didn't select for heat (which is its selling point), and now they want to claim rights to it.
    • PlaidPhantom, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2If I understand the article right, they did have to actually breed it that hot. It says it took four years; I take that to assume they were breeding it.
  • Maddcovv, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Interesting tidbit of information:
    You mouth does not have taste buds that sense hot foods, its pain receptors on your tongue.

    I used to eat hot foods until one day I ate some over seasoned crawfish at a Cajun restaurant and I cant eat anything hotter than cinnamon candy now. :(

  • halfgook, on 10/12/2007, -4/+1nuts!
  • Ramtech, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5make your woman grow a mustache... ! lol
  • tardmongerster, on 10/12/2007, -6/+1deleted
  • kokorhekkus, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8Scoville rating of Dorset Naga: 876,000 - 1,598,227
    Scoville rating of Habanero Chile: 100,000 - 350,000
    Scoville rating of standard US pepper spray: 2,000,000 - 5,300,000
    Sounds like damn hot to me.

    Scoville ratings of peppers at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scoville_scale#List_of_Scoville_ratings
    • Karmalary, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I don't know how accurate that rating of a habenero is. I have been breeding them for 12 years, and mine are certainly a lot hotter than what you can get from the local greenhouses. 'Guess I should have them tested.
  • Cymrubeats, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2I just glaze my food with U.S police issue pepper spray. In reality, my stomach throws a fit if i even eat lightweight stuff such as tabasco or jalapeño.
  • Qwirk, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I once baked some Habaneros to eat and couldn't get the oils from the evil little things off for a week and I tried every bit of soap/toothpaste/oil I could find. =( Drove my contacts nuts.

    At 925,000 scoville I don't think anyone is going to eat a full one anytime soon.

    On another note, I believe the capsicum is contained (mostly) within the white ribs of the chili. I believe if you remove the ribs then the tempature of the chili goes down immensely. I don't think merely touching the chili to your food would effect the taste unless it was ground.
  • pianonotes1010, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4http://www.sweatnspice.com/proddetail.php?prod=429


    16 million Scoville units. It beats everything.
    • Rivetgeek, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1so does a stomach pump. Thats pure capsicum and insanely overpriced as well.
    • Qwirk, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0That's pure capsicum, not a chili.
  • ringo380, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Interestingly enough, if you check out the Wiki on the Skoville rating system:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scoville_scale#List_of_Scoville_ratings

    Pepper spray is about 9 times as "hot" as the Dorset Naga. Kind of puts it into context. Getting pepper sprayed in the eyes is like rubbing 9 ripe Dorset Nagas into your eyeballs.
  • soulpunisher, on 10/12/2007, -6/+2I would love to put this in my dad's food for fun...we pull pranks on each other all the time but I think I could win with this and make sure no liquids are in sight. :-)
    • diabolicglacier, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Better have a phone nearby to call an ambulance, too.
    • florin, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Make sure he has made his last will and you're on the list. ;-)
  • mushoo, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1"The couple are now seeking Plant Variety Protection from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which will mean that no one else can sell the seeds."

    This is *****, this is the sort of crap that big corporations use to run the small guys out of business, guess it was about time the small guys started doing it too.

    Also it doesn't matter how hot a pepper is if it tastes like hot grass. Go and try a chipotle pepper.
    • nepawoods, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1"Also it doesn't matter how hot a pepper is if it tastes like hot grass."

      When it's that hot, I wonder whether you're going to be eating enough to taste anything else.

      These are really just a novelty item. You can use one of these instead of two regular habaneros - so what?
  • Bioshock, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Whoa, I would never eat THAT.
  • Sell, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3FTA "They hold it by the stalk and just touch their food with it,” he said."

    Holy *****!
  • MatYadabyte, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I'll challenge anyone on the planet to a Chillie eating contest.
  • almightystoph, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1What's a "chilli"?

    Isn't that one of the members of the now-defunct pop band TLC?
  • sankethkatta, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2photo of the chili
    http://www.peppersbypost.biz/images/photos/types/naga_branch.jpg
  • anomalya, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1http://www.deathsauce.com.au/
  • DanLuke, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0My new life purpose is to find this pepper and eat it.
  • Clp727, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1True story.
    I gave a friend some home grown habanero chilies to make salsa with. He sliced them up one night before bed and placed them in the fridge, washed his hands, took off his glasses and went to bed.
    The next morning he awoke to go to work. Took a shower, combed his hair and put in his contact lenses....
    His eyes were still red and burning when he arrived at work. :)
  • malliemcg, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Ahhh the dorset naga - a marketing miracle.

    http://www.fiery-foods.com/dave/sagajolokia.asp

  • Iskander, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Naga jolokia, Nagahari, Bhut jolokia, Bih jolokia, Nagahari, Raja Mircha, Raja chilli or Borbih jolokia; all are Capsicum chinensis, and all are known for it's insane level of capsaicine, their native names goes from "snake" (naga), "snakebite" (Nagahari), "poison" (Bih), "ghost" (Bhut), and "king" (Raja).

    I have chili with my food on a regular basis, and enjoy the taste of "habaneros", "perones" and "piquines", but I wouldn't mess with one of this poisonous snake bites.
  • billbradford, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1And here I thought Dave's Insanity Sauce (at 80K SHUs) was bad... I love Tabasco and everything, but a single drop of Dave's made my eyes water for about fifteen minutes.

    This pepper would probably kill me.
  • mistamoni, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I'm originally from Bangladesh, so I can assure you that these peppers are not fake and very real. Down in that region, they eat it quite frequently but not so much that it will kill you... because I think it seriously can if you eat too much of it. I've never tried them, but am curious now. I'm actually surprised to see so many chili and hot food enthusiasts here. Usually most people in the US are afraid of jalapeños.

    Digging this just for referencing my home country.
  • adembe, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0haha pure capacasin, well here is a list of how hot things are compared to my favourite chicken wing place in toronto, ontario (DUFFS)!!

    The Scoville scale is a measure of the "hotness" of a chili pepper. These fruits of the Capsicum genus contain capsaicin, a chemical compound which stimulates thermoreceptor nerve endings in the skin, especially the mucus membranes, and the number of Scoville heat units (SHU) indicates the amount of capsaicin present. Many hot sauces use their Scoville rating in advertising as a selling point. The scale is named after its creator, chemist Wilbur Scoville.

    5,000,000 - 16,000,000 Pure capsaicin
    9,100,000 Nordihydrocapsaicin
    2,000,000 - 5,000,000 Standard pepper spray
    855,000 - 1,041,427 Naga Jolokia
    876,000 - 970,000 Dorset Naga
    850,000 Armageddon Wings
    500,000 Death Wings
    350,000 - 577,000 Red Savina Habanero
    100,000 - 325,000 Scotch Bonnet
    100,000 - 300,000 Habanero Chile
    100,000 - 200,000 Jamaican Hot Pepper
    150,000 Superhot wings
    50,000 - 100,000 Thai Pepper, Malagueta Pepper
    30,000 - 50,000 Cayenne Pepper, Ají pepper
    10,000 - 23,000 Serrano Pepper
    7,000 - 8,000 Tabasco Sauce (Habanero)
    5,000 - 10,000 Wax Pepper
    2,500 - 8,000 Jalapeño Pepper
  • TB65, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I use this in my chili with the orange habanero, finely chopped:

    http://img154.imageshack.us/img154/6400/onemillionscovilleextrave0.jpg

    yummo!

    Regarding heat relief, as mentioned above, you will want to use something fat based as the capsaicin isn't water soluble. Try a premium brand ice cream, higher fat content.

    Keep the super hot stuff away from your lower regions(unless you like that sort of thing), asthmatics and people with food allergies too.

    Have fun and play nice.
  • payrolldude, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I like Habaneros. I keep ground dried habanero with me to put on my food. Once, when my wife was out of town, I dried a bunch of habaneros in my oven. I had to leave the house. But, it was well aired out by the time my wife got back to town. Later, she made some Almond cookies in the same oven. THEY WERE GOOD. Even my non-spicy friends liked them. Ok, well, most of them.
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