Carolina Reaper

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Carolina Reaper
Carolina Reaper pepper pods (cropped).jpg
Species Capsicum chinense
Hybrid parentage Naga pepper x Habanero
Breeder Ed Currie
Origin Fort Mill, South Carolina, U.S.
Heat Chilli55.svg 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.

Contents

Development

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]

Details

Carolina Reaper plant at 30 days Carolina Reaper 30 days old.JPG
Carolina Reaper plant at 30 days

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]

Mature plant Mature Carolina Reaper.jpg
Mature plant

Pungency

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]

Cultivation

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]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ His newly invented pepper was initially known as "HP22B" when first grown by Currie sometime in 2011. [4]
  2. ↑ This higher end number however was never confirmed by Guinness World Records. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scoville scale</span> Scale for measuring spiciness of peppers

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chili pepper</span> Varieties of peppers belonging to several species of Capsicum genus

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 wide 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 distinctive taste and heat level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hot sauce</span> Condiment made from chili peppers

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<i>Capsicum chinense</i> Species of flowering plant

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 many have 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.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naga Morich</span> Ghost pepper

The Naga Morich is a chili pepper grown in Northeast India and Bangladesh. There is no consensus on whether this is synonymous with the Bhut Jolokia, or a different variety. It is also one of the hottest known chilli peppers and the only naturally occurring chili pepper that measures 1 million 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 Mircha is registered under the Geographical Indications (GI) of Nagaland by Government of India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naga Viper pepper</span> Hot chili pepper

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Infinity chili</span> Chili pepper known for extreme heat

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trinidad Scorpion Butch T pepper</span> Chili pepper

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trinidad Moruga scorpion</span> Exceptionally hot chili pepper

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).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ghost pepper</span> Chili pepper cultivated in Northeast India

The ghost pepper, also known as bhut jolokia, is an interspecific hybrid chili pepper cultivated in Northeast India. It is a hybrid of Capsicum chinense and Capsicum frutescens.

<i>Capsicum</i> Genus of flowering plants

Capsicum is a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family Solanaceae, native to the Americas, cultivated worldwide for their chili pepper or bell pepper fruit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Habanero</span> Strain of chili (Capsicum)

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.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hottest chili pepper</span> Informal pepper competition

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.

References

  1. 1 2 David Floyd (2016). "101: Carolina Reaper (HP22B)". 101 Chillies to Try Before You Die. Octopus. ISBN   9781844038657.
  2. 1 2 3 "About Us". PuckerButt Pepper Co. Archived from the original on February 23, 2015. Retrieved November 23, 2021. 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®.
  3. ↑ Zucchino, David (November 27, 2014). "From Pot To Hot: How a grower produced world's most fiery chile pepper". LA Times. Archived from the original on September 30, 2021. Retrieved November 23, 2021. 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.
  4. ↑ "Confirmed: Smokin Ed's Carolina Reaper sets new record for hottest chilli". Guinness world records. November 19, 2013. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  5. 1 2 Tu Chau (August 18, 2016). "Eating the 'Carolina Reaper' pepper is 'like eating molten lava'". Pri. Archived from the original on March 8, 2021. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  6. 1 2 3 "Hottest chilli pepper (2017)". Guinness World Records. Archived from the original on January 28, 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  7. 1 2 3 Hallock, Betty (December 26, 2013). "World's Hottest Pepper Hits 2.2 Million Scoville Heat Units". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on November 15, 2021. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  8. ↑ DaSilva, Matthew (April 12, 2011). "World's hottest chilli grown by Aussies". Australian Geographic. Archived from the original on April 15, 2019. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
  9. ↑ Collins, Jeffrey (December 26, 2013). "World's Hottest Pepper is Grown in South Carolina". Associated Press. Archived from the original on July 1, 2015. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  10. ↑ "Hottest chilli pepper". Guinness World Records. October 16, 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Pepper X dethrones Carolina Reaper as world's hottest chilli pepper". Guinness World Records. October 16, 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  12. 1 2 Smithers, Rebecca (July 16, 2016). "UK shoppers to feel the heat as world's strongest chilli hits the high street". The Guardian. Archived from the original on February 5, 2021. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  13. ↑ Nagy, Z; Daood, H; Ambrózy, Z; Helyes, L (2015). "Determination of Polyphenols, Capsaicinoids, and Vitamin C in New Hybrids of Chili Peppers". Journal of Analytical Methods in Chemistry. 2015: 102125. doi: 10.1155/2015/102125 . PMC   4606152 . PMID   26495153.
  14. ↑ Wong, James (February 28, 2016). "Gardens: the hottest chilli ever grown". The Guardian . Archived from the original on March 9, 2021. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
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