Ed Currie

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Ed Currie
Born (1963-08-18) August 18, 1963 (age 61)
Michigan, US
Other namesSmokin' Ed Currie
Years active2001–present
Known forBreeding chili peppers including Carolina Reapers and Pepper X

Ed Currie (born August 18, 1963) 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 . [1] [2] [3] [4]

Contents

Background

Currie was born in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan. He graduated from Central Michigan University. In 2001, Currie moved to South Carolina, where he began growing his own peppers in the yard and experimenting with crossbreeds. [5] He was featured in the episode "Chili Eating" in the 2020 Netflix documentary series We Are the Champions. [6] [7] He was also featured on Dirty Jobs . [8]

PuckerButt Pepper Company

Ed Currie bred the Carolina Reaper (shown above) and Pepper X, both world-record holding chili peppers at different points. Mature Carolina Reaper.jpg
Ed Currie bred the Carolina Reaper (shown above) and Pepper X, both world-record holding chili peppers at different points.

Currie started the PuckerButt Pepper Company in Fort Mill, South Carolina, in 2003. [9] The company sells peppers considered to be extremely hot. It sells seeds, pepper mash, and hot sauce. [5] PuckerButt is the largest organic pepper farm in the US, with annual sales of around $1 million. [5] [9] Currie's hot sauce "The Last Dab" was created for the YouTube show Hot Ones . The show is an interview which asks guests to eat increasingly spicy hot wings, with "The Last Dab" being the spiciest sauce presented. [9] [10]

Currie crossbreeds his pepper plants by taking the pollen of one plant with a paintbrush and then delivering that pollen to a different plant. To create the Carolina Reaper, he took a Naga pepper, a chili pepper originally grown in India and Bangladesh, and combined it with the La Soufriere pepper from Saint Vincent. [11] [12] In 2013, Guinness World Records gave the title of "World's Hottest Chili" to the Carolina Reaper. [13] [14] On August 23, 2023, he was officially recognized as having broken the previous record when Guinness World Records certified his Pepper X as the hottest chili pepper on earth, measuring at 2.69 million SHU. [15] [16]

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 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.

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

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.

<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, 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naga Morich</span> Chinese variety of chili pepper

The Naga Morich is a chili pepper originally grown primarily in Bangladesh and Northeast India. 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 Mircha" is registered under the Geographical Indications (GI) of Nagaland by Government of India.

A chili grenade is a type of non-lethal weapon developed by Indian military scientists at the Defence Research and Development Organisation for use by the Indian Armed Forces. The weapon is similar to tear gas. In 2016, civilian variants were being used for crowd control in Jammu and Kashmir.

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

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.

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

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.

<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">Carolina Reaper</span> Exceptionally hot cultivar of C. chinense pepper plant

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.

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

The ghost pepper, also known as bhüt jolokia, is an interspecific hybrid chili pepper cultivated in Northeast India and Myanmar♧. 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 edible fruit, which are generally known as "peppers" or "capsicum". Sweet or bell peppers and some chili peppers belong to the Capsicum annuum species, making it the most cultivated species from the genus.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sean Evans (interviewer)</span> American YouTuber and producer (born 1986)

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dragon's Breath (chili pepper)</span> Chili pepper

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.

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

Amongst 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.

The Armageddon chili pepper is a chili pepper strain. It is the world's first superhot 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. ↑ Wells, Jane (June 20, 2018). "How this ex-addict turned self-made millionaire created the world's most hellish peppers". CNBC. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
  2. ↑ News and Info | (April 29, 2015). "Ed Currie, creator of the Carolina Reaper, is working on an even hotter variety". Cayenne Diane. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  3. ↑ "Don't Fear the Reaper: Smokin' Ed Currie on the Link Between Peppers and Addiction". Honeysuckle Magazine. May 29, 2018. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  4. ↑ Martin, Guy (July 7, 2024). "Meet Smokin' Ed Currie: The South Carolina Pepper Farmer who Created the 2 Hottest Peppers on Earth". Food & Wine. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 Gabriele, Amanda (August 2, 2019). "How One Man Overcame Addiction by Growing the Hottest Peppers in the World". Thrillist. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  6. ↑ Schneider, Michael (October 20, 2020). "Netflix to Premiere 'We Are the Champions,' Rainn Wilson's Look at Real, Unusual Competitions (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  7. ↑ Cornelisse, William (November 26, 2020). "'We Are the Champions' Showcases Unique Global Contests". The Heights. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  8. ↑ Nolasco, Stephanie (December 9, 2022). "'Dirty Jobs' star Mike Rowe reveals the new gigs that tested his guts: 'My dreams were fevered and vivid'". FOXBusiness. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  9. 1 2 3 Wells, Jane (June 20, 2018). "How this ex-addict turned self-made millionaire created the world's most hellish peppers". CNBC. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  10. ↑ 07 - Ed Currie - PuckerButt Pepper Company - The Hottest Farmer in the World *AG ODDITIES EDITION* - United We Ag , retrieved December 17, 2020
  11. ↑ "Ed Currie is the Mad Genius Behind the Carolina Reaper". Man of Many. November 17, 2019. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  12. ↑ "Pepper Master Ed Currie Answers Hot Pepper Questions | Epicurious - YouTube". YouTube . May 23, 2023. Archived from the original on May 23, 2023. Retrieved October 28, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Smokin Ed Currie". Charleston Wine + Food. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  14. ↑ "Of Note: Ed Currie, The Inventor of the Hottest Pepper in the World". scribble. Archived from the original on September 22, 2022. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  15. ↑ "Hottest chilli pepper". Guinness World Records Ltd. 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Pepper X dethrones Carolina Reaper as world's hottest chilli pepper". Guinness World Records. October 16, 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
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