Carolina Reaper | |
---|---|
Species | Capsicum chinense |
Hybrid parentage | Naga pepper x Habanero |
Breeder | Ed Currie |
Origin | Fort Mill, South Carolina, U.S. |
Heat | Exceptionally hot |
Scoville scale | 1,641,183 SHU |
The Carolina Reaper chili pepper is a cultivar of the Capsicum chinense plant. Developed by American breeder Ed Currie, the pepper is red and gnarled, with a bumpy texture and small pointed tail. It was the hottest chili pepper in the world according to Guinness World Records from 2013 to 2023 before it was surpassed by Pepper X, which was also developed by Currie.
Currie, an American breeder, began working in about 2001 on what would become the Carolina Reaper. It took over 10 years to develop. [1] [2] Sorting through hundreds of hybrid combinations, Currie was finally successful at crossing a "really nastily hot" La Soufrière (Saint Vincent) Habanero pepper from the Caribbean island of Saint Vincent and a Naga pepper from Pakistan". [3] [2] [1] [lower-alpha 1] During November of that year, a reporter from NPR visited Currie to try the new pepper. According to Currie's website: "The reporter ate a small piece of the pepper, rolled around on the floor, hallucinated, and then shared his experiences with the national media." [2] Currie officially named the pepper: "Smokin' Ed's Carolina Reaper". The word "reaper" was chosen by Currie due to the shape of the pepper's "sickle-like" tail. [5]
The Carolina Reaper was certified as the world's hottest chili pepper by Guinness World Records on August 11, 2017. [6] Testing was conducted by Winthrop University in South Carolina during the certification process which showed an average heat level of 1,641,183 SHU for a given batch. [6] [7] Previously the record for the hottest pepper had been held by the scorpion pepper which measured in at 1,463,700 SHU in comparison. [7] [8] It was later claimed through media outlets such as the Associated Press that an individual Carolina Reaper had a heat level of 2.2 million SHU. [7] [9] [lower-alpha 2] Currie eventually bred an even stronger pepper—known as "Pepper X"—that took the title of "World's Hottest Pepper" on August 23, 2023 that was tested indicating an average rating of 2.69 million SHUs. [10] [11]
The Reaper has been described as having a fruity taste, with the initial bite being sweet and then immediately turning to "molten lava." [5] [12] The sensory heat or pungency detected when eating a Carolina Reaper derives from the density of capsaicinoids, particularly capsaicin, which relates directly to the intensity of chili pepper heat and Scoville Heat Units (SHU). [13]
For growing, the pepper has been described as "...a good all-rounder to try at home..." by James Wong, an English ethnobotanist, who stated that they require growing temperatures of at least 18 °C (64 °F). He suggested growing the plants in 30–40 cm (12–16 in) pots to restrict growth and produce fruit sooner. [14] When fully ripe, two peppers occupy the palm of the hand. [12]
The Scoville scale is a measurement of pungency of chili peppers and other substances, recorded in Scoville heat units (SHU). It is based on the concentration of capsaicinoids, among which capsaicin is the predominant component.
Chili peppers, also spelled chile or chilli, are varieties of the berry-fruit of plants from the genus Capsicum, which are members of the nightshade family Solanaceae, cultivated for their pungency. Chili peppers are widely used in many cuisines as a spice to add "heat" to dishes. Capsaicin and related compounds known as capsaicinoids are the substances that give chili peppers their intensity when ingested or applied topically. Chili peppers exhibit a range of heat and flavors. This diversity is the reason behind the availability of different types of paprika and chili powder, each offering its own taste and heat level.
Hot sauce is a type of condiment, seasoning, or salsa made from chili peppers and other ingredients. Many commercial varieties of mass-produced hot sauce exist.
Capsicum chinense, commonly known as a "habanero-type pepper", is a species of chili pepper native to the Americas. C. chinense varieties are well known for their unique flavors and, in many cases, exceptional heat. The hottest peppers in the world are members of this species, with a Scoville Heat Unit score of 2.69 million measured in the C. chinense cultivar, Pepper X in 2023.
The Red Savina pepper is a cultivar of the habanero chili, which has been selectively bred to produce spicier, heavier, and larger fruit, ultimately more potent than its derivative.
The Naga Morich is a chili pepper originally grown in India and Bangladesh. It is also one of the hottest known chilli peppers and measures 800,000 SHU on Scoville scale. Morich is the word for chilli pepper in Bengali, with similar words in Assamese:, Nepali, Hindi and the languages of Nagaland and Manipur. Naga Morich is registered under the Geographical Indications (GI) of Nagaland by Government of India.
The Naga Viper pepper is a hot chili pepper. In 2011, it was recorded as the "World's Hottest Chili" by the Guinness World Records with a rating of 1,382,118 Scoville heat units (SHU), but was surpassed in SHU by the Carolina Reaper, in 2017, and again by the latest world record holder Pepper X in 2023.
The Infinity Chili pepper is a chili pepper hybrid of the Capsicum chinense species created in England by chili breeder Nicholas Woods of Fire Foods, Grantham, Lincolnshire. For two weeks in February 2011, the Infinity Chili held the Guinness World Record title for the world's hottest chili with a Scoville scale rating of 1,067,286 Scoville Heat Units (SHU). On March 1, 2011, it was displaced by the Trinidad Scorpion Butch T pepper, which registered 1,463,700 SHU.
The Trinidad Scorpion Butch T is a Capsicum chinense cultivar that is among the hottest peppers in the world. It is a hybrid pepper and thus not indigenous to anywhere; however, its hybrid parentage is derived from the Trinidad Moruga scorpion indigenous to Trinidad and Tobago. It was named by Neil Smith from The Hippy Seed Company, after he got the seeds originally from Butch Taylor who is responsible for propagating the pepper's seeds. The "scorpion" peppers are referred to as such because the pointed end of the pepper is said to resemble a scorpion's stinger.
The Trinidad Moruga scorpion is a chili pepper native to the village of Moruga, Trinidad and Tobago. In 2012, New Mexico State University's Chile Pepper Institute identified the Trinidad Moruga scorpion as the hottest chili pepper at that time, with heat of 1.2 million Scoville heat units (SHUs).
The ghost pepper, also known as bhüt jolokia, is an interspecific hybrid chili pepper cultivated in Northeast India. It is a hybrid of Capsicum chinense and Capsicum frutescens.
Capsicum is a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family Solanaceae, native to the Americas, cultivated worldwide for their edible fruit. Sweet or bell peppers and some chili peppers belong to the Capsicum annuum species, making it the most cultivated species from the genus.
The habanero is a hot variety of chili. Unripe habaneros are green, and they color as they mature. The most common color variants are orange and red, but the fruit may also be white, brown, yellow, green, or purple. Typically, a ripe habanero is 2–6 centimetres long. Habanero chilis are very hot, rated 100,000–350,000 on the Scoville scale. The habanero heat, flavor, and floral aroma make it a common ingredient in hot sauces and other spicy foods.
Sean Evans is an American YouTuber who is best known for co-creating and hosting the series Hot Ones, in which he interviews celebrities as they eat progressively spicier chicken wings.
Dragon's Breath is a chili pepper cultivar that unofficially tested at 2.48 million Scoville units.
Pepper X is a cultivar of Capsicum chili pepper bred by the American chili breeder Ed Currie, the creator of the Carolina Reaper. In 2023, Guinness World Records recognized it as the world's hottest chili pepper.
Especially among growers in the US, the UK, and Australia, there has been a competition since the 1990s to grow the hottest chili pepper. Chili pepper species and cultivars registering over 1,000,000 Scoville Heat units (SHU) are called "super-hots". Past Guinness World Record holders include the ghost pepper, Infinity chili, Trinidad Moruga scorpion, Naga Viper pepper, Trinidad Scorpion Butch T, and Carolina Reaper. The current record holder, declared in 2023, is Pepper X, at more than 2.69 million SHU.
Ed Currie is an American chili pepper breeder who is the founder and president of the PuckerButt Pepper Company. He is best known for breeding the Carolina Reaper which was the hottest chili pepper in the world until, in 2023, Pepper X, also bred by Currie, took over as the hottest chili pepper, as recognized by Guinness World Records.
The Armageddon chili pepper is the world's first F1 'Super Hot' chili pepper. It is a hybrid of C. chinense and C. frutescens. Armageddon was developed by hot pepper grower and developer, Salvatore Genvoese of the UK. It was introduced to the UK market in 2019. The pepper holds a rating of 1.3 million SHU.
Smokin' Ed gained the pepper industry's attention in November 2011 when an NPR Reporter stopped by to eat an HP22B pepper–now known as Smokin' Ed's Carolina Reaper®.
It took 12 years of crossbreeding for Currie to reach the pinnacle of the pepper world. He said he tested hundreds of hybrid combinations before finally crossing a "really nastily hot" La Soufriere pepper from the Caribbean island of St. Vincent and a Naga pepper from Pakistan to create Smokin Ed's Carolina Reaper—"a tidal wave of scorching fire," as the PuckerButt website puts it.