The hottest peppers in the world top 10. The hottest peppers in the world. The benefits of hot pepper
"Playing with fire" in the daily diet is very useful - the active substances of hot peppers contribute to the production of hormones, fight depression and strengthen immunity. But some varieties of pepper are so unbearable that it seems as if they really are on fire! Hot top of the hottest peppers in the world.
1 place
Carolina Reaper “The brainchild of South Carolina. The bumpy surface and tail make it even intimidating in appearance, but it tastes even more dangerous to try it - the human mucous membrane is not adapted to such extreme doses of stinging. The degree of spiciness is determined in chemical laboratories organoleptically, that is, the taste, but not of a pure product, but of an extract. Therefore, it makes sense to conduct experiments with this type of pepper only at your own peril and risk.
The record holder owns 2,200,000 units on the special Scoville scale. Compared to it, Chile, aka Cayenne pepper, has only 50,000 units on this scale, which evaluates spiciness based on the amount of the "burning" alkaloid - capsaicin. It is its content in one quantity or another that makes the pepper more or less spicy.
2nd place 
- this is the name of the pepper, which back in 2012 was the Guinness record holder as the hottest pepper in the world. This name is given to pepper because of its rounded shape and tail, like a scorpion. Peppers are used to make tear gas and pepper spray. It is necessary to use autojack overalls, the price of which corresponds to the quality.
On the Scoville scale, the sharpness of the Trinidad Scorpion is between 1.5 and 2 million units.
3rd place 
Trinidad Scorpion Butch T . The predecessor of the first two types, which until 2011 was the first among the hottest peppers. It was grown by crossing different varieties. Professional chefs who have had to deal with this type of pepper claim that the numbness of the fingers lasts for several more days, despite the fact that the dishes are prepared using gloves, a mask and a suit.
Sharpness - 1.46 million units on the Scoville scale.
4th place 
- another pepper, obtained artificially thanks to a breeder from Britain. He held the title of the hottest pepper for only two weeks, but don't let that deceive you - his hotness will be enough to make even the most prepared person cry. In appearance, it has a bumpy surface and pleasant colors from orange to dark red.
Sharpness - 1.17 million units on the Scoville scale.
5th place 
spanish naga . Despite the name, this type of pepper has nothing in common with Spain, except that its bright red color may be reminiscent of the Spanish bullfight. It is grown up in severe conditions of selection laboratories of Great Britain. Its pungency on the scale is 1.08 million units.
6th place 
Chocolate Bhut Jolokia . Despite the rather "sweet" name, the only reason for it is the color of the pepper. Its homeland is considered to be India, where it is popular in the preparation of a variety of curry dishes.
Sharpness - 1 million units.
7th place 
Red Caribbean Habanero . This type of pepper is native to the Amazon and is quite popular in Mexican cuisine. Its sharpness is almost twice as high as the traditional habanero and is 457 thousand units.
8th place 
Tigerpaw NR . An artificially bred variety of pepper comes from an agricultural laboratory in the United States. Its origin does not allow it to be used as food, however, many extreme lovers use it for cooking to add to their list of tried follies.
Sharpness - 331 thousand units.
9th place 
Devil tongue . This variety of pepper really resembles a tongue in shape and has a pleasant yellow tint. Tasters claim that its fruits have a nutty flavor, believe it or not - it's up to every gourmet. The hotness of this pepper is 270 thousand units.
10th place 
Madame Jeanette . Pepper from Suriname, which with its pleasant yellow color and smooth shape can mislead you, but do not trust the first impression - it is a frequent guest in the cuisines of Suriname. And the traditions of this cuisine are incomparably hotter and sharper than ours.
Sharpness - 225 thousand units.
Pepper X set a new world record in the hot pepper category with 3.18 million Scoville units!
Previously, the record holder for the hottest peppers was the Carolina Reaper variety, with a spiciness level of 1.15-2.2 million scovilles. The record of the “Caroline Reaper” lasted for 4 years. Pepper "X" the creators of the "Caroline Reaper" has been developing for 10 years.
Pepper "Caroline Reaper" Photo: pepperhead.com
Scoville units measure the content of capsaicin, the substance that gives peppers their heat. Capsaicin is insoluble in cold water, but diluted perfectly with alcohol and fats. That is why water does not save us from the sharpness of pepper.
For example, the sharpness of Tabasco sauce is from 2.5 thousand to 8 thousand Scoville, and cayenne pepper is from 30 thousand to 50 thousand Scoville units, which is at least 60 times weaker than X pepper.
Pepper “X” photo: YouTube/First We Feast
The New Hot Pepper is Safe to Eat in The Last Dab Hot Sauce from the Puckerbutt Pepper Company. In the sauce, the taste of pepper "X" is complemented by distilled vinegar, ginger root, turmeric, coriander, cumin and dry mustard. The first thousand bottles of this sauce were sold in 2 minutes, but the product is available for pre-order.
Ed Curry is the creator of X peppers, Carolina Reaper and The Last Dab sauce, founder of the Puckerbutt Pepper Company. Ed announced the appearance of a new pepper at the Chelsea Market in New York during the filming of the episode First We Feast for YouTube. According to him, pepper "X" is three times hotter than all hot peppers that are commercially available.
Peppers that hot can send your immune system into a reboot and trick your body into believing it's a real "extreme heat" experience. Pepper can not be eaten separately, it is life threatening.
“The new sauce is more than a heat in the mouth, it burns the soul. It starts with a pleasant spiciness that quickly wears off, leaving you lulled into false confidence. You take another portion to enjoy, ideally seasoning Indian food with it. And then - BAM! Suddenly your skin is cold, your stomach is on fire, and you understand the power of X.
The record has not yet been officially registered in the Guinness Book, but all the evidence for this has been presented and confirmation is expected in November.
Cover photo – chowhound.com
Pepper plays a huge role in adding spice, piquancy and bitterness to dishes, but with all the variety of this product, very few people know that there is a Scoville scale that helps determine the degree of hotness of pepper. The positions occupied at the very top of the scale signal to us that such pepper can only be used for purposes not related to food, because the use of such a dangerous burning product can adversely affect the internal organs of a person and even lead to burns. In this article, we will name the 10 hottest peppers in the world.
Up the Scoville Scale
What is the hottest pepper in the world? As mentioned above, there is a special scale by which scientists divide the huge variety of this product by spiciness. The top positions are occupied by the most dangerous peppers, and the lower ones by plants with less bitterness and pungency, which are not only used for food, but also added to medicinal tinctures and warming ointments.
The most interesting representatives of the species got into the top of the hottest peppers in the world, the inscription on the label of which should read: “Caution, scalding!” Thanks to the scale of the famous American chemist Scoville, we can sort peppers from the most spicy and dangerous representatives to those that can be eaten. Believe it or not, there are peppers that are at least 200 thousand times hotter than Tabasco known to us!
Where are all these peppers from?
Most peppers are native to Latin America, and it is from there that they have spread throughout the world. As we know, the spicy types of this product are usually called "chili", which in Nahuatl means "red".
Basically, this name is applied to cayenne pepper, the plant Capsicum annuum, and this exotic word collectively refers to all types of hot peppers that differ in sharpness from slightly hot or even sweet ones. By the way, this name has nothing to do with the country of Chile!
Medicine, self-defense and sharpness
What is the hottest pepper in the world? The answer to this question lies in a special substance inside each stinging plant that stimulates heat receptors on the human tongue - capsaicin. The spiciness of the product also depends on its amount inside: the more substance, the more spicy the pepper. The hotness of peppers is measured on the Scoville scale, the zero position is the sweet bell pepper.
The pungent substance, capsaicin, is also used in medicine - it is used as a warming and analgesic agent, and also for the preparation of remedies for shock and against circulatory disorders in the body. In addition to medicine, capsaicin is used in the preparation of pepper spray. The latter often help save their lives and temporarily neutralize the attacker.
The sharpness of peppers is measured in special units - scovilles. According to her, Tabasco, which is widely known to us, has 5 thousand units, it is ahead of jalapeno with a sharpness of 8 thousand units and wax Hungarian - 10 thousand units. Poblano turned out to be much weaker than Tabasco: its pungency is 1.5 thousand units. And, as mentioned above, bell pepper is zero on the Scoville scale.
The benefits and harms of hot peppers
As mentioned above, hot peppers are used in medicine and in the manufacture of defensive mixtures, but did you know that adding a burning plant to food not only adds a special taste to meat, legumes and vegetables, but also benefits? The use of hot peppers in small quantities helps to regulate blood circulation and has a positive effect on cardiac activity, helps to normalize body temperature during severe hypothermia, and even helps to produce endorphins.
With excessive use of burning plants and with the careless consumption of especially hot varieties of pepper, hearing loss, temporary blindness, and even numbness of the hands and feet can occur. In addition, carelessness can result in severe burns of the mouth, pharynx and nasal mucosa.
The most minimal thing that excessive consumption of pepper can lead to is a burning sensation in the oral cavity. To remove this burning sensation, in no case should the product be washed down with a large amount of water. Water provokes substances to produce stronger pungency, so spicy food should be washed down with neutralizers - cream or milk, as well as fatty sour cream or ice cream. Burning in the mouth will pass gradually.
Shall we get to the top?
The top 10 hottest peppers in the world open at number ten with a plant called poblano. This vegetable is widely used in Mexican folk cuisine. When mature, it has a rich burgundy color close to black. The aroma of this pepper is unusually sweet, and the aftertaste gives spicy lovers new sensations, because it is accompanied by a hint of prunes. Poblano is used stuffed, dried, and also fried in batter.
On the ninth position is the next contender for the role of the hottest pepper in the world - Hungarian wax. Outwardly, this pepper is similar to a banana not only in shape, but also in its characteristic yellow color. The fruits of this plant seem to be a dummy, because they are very neat and shiny. Hungarian wax is used in fresh salads and in marinade.
Once the world's hottest pepper was considered naga jolia, which was even listed in the Guinness Book of Records. Now he is in fourth place in our ranking. In order to use this type of pepper without harm to the body, it is necessary to dilute 1 gram of the product in a thousand liters.
Top three
A pepper with a funny name - a Scottish cap - made its way into the top three. This dangerous vegetable can cause limb numbness and dizziness. Some gourmets use this product with chocolate and fruits, and it is also suitable for first courses in limited quantities.
In second place is the Trinidadian scorpion, which is used to make spray gases and paint the bottom of boats to prevent the growth of shellfish.
The name of the hottest pepper in the world, which is located on the first step of our top, is the Carolina reaper. It was bred by selection, and gourmets claim that its taste is filled with citrus and chocolate notes. You can only touch it with protective gloves, because it causes an incredible burning sensation.
Pepper gives special piquancy, bitterness and sharpness to dishes. But not many people know that there is a special Scoville scale, which determines the level of their pungency. Those that occupy the very first lines are usually used only for technical purposes; eating them is not only not recommended, but also prohibited, because this can lead to burns of internal organs. But those plants that have a lower level of bitterness are used as seasonings, as well as additives to various warming ointments and tinctures.
Today we decided to introduce you to the most "vigorous" peppers in the whole world.
Be careful, it's hot!
It is this inscription that should show off on all the species that are in our top 10, here they are:
10. Poblano. It is a must-have vegetable in Mexican cuisine. When ripe, it has a dark burgundy, close to black hue. The sweet aroma seduces and captivates, and the taste of prunes surprises lovers of spicy. Mexicans use it both dried and fresh, stuffed or fried in batter.
9. Hungarian wax. Outwardly, it is very similar to a small banana, having a similar shape and a beautiful yellow color. The fruits are so shiny and neat that at first glance it may seem like they are not real.
Hungarian Wax has a medium spiciness, and perfectly reveals its taste in marinated form, as well as in fresh vegetable salads.
8. Cayenne. It has been around the world for a long time. But if it seems to someone that it doesn’t get any sharper, we can say with confidence that they are mistaken. Cayenne pepper is successfully used to make sauces, marinades, preserves and even sausages. And he copes well with the pain of sciatica.
7. Thai. For the first time they began to grow it in Portugal, but it gained particular popularity in Thailand, for which it received the name of the same name. Especially often, Thais use this vegetable in fish and meat dishes, and they also found out that it fights cellulite very well, and they advise women to do body wraps with it.
6. Jamaican. With this vegetable, you should already be careful, because in the wrong doses it can cause burns. To reduce the bitterness a little, it is often consumed with dairy products.
5. Habanero. There are several types of this hot seasoning - chocolate, having a "smoke" flavor, "devil's tongue" with a bright fruit and nut flavor, and many others. But it is worth noting that only true connoisseurs will be able to distinguish and feel the real taste, who, behind the incredible sharpness, will be able to feel something else.
By the way, it is habanero that is part of the well-known hot Tabasco sauce.
4. Naga jolia. Once he got into the Guinness Book of Records as the sharpest in the world. To be able to safely eat it, 1 g of pepper must be diluted in 1000 liters of water.
3. Scottish hat. Very cute in appearance, this vegetable, if used incorrectly, can cause dizziness and even numbness in some parts of the body. It goes well with first courses, and gourmets eat it with fruit and chocolate.
2. Trinidad scorpion. To grow this vegetable, you need a hazmat suit. Why is he needed then? It is used mainly for the production of tear gases, as well as paints that are used to treat the bottom of ships to prevent the growth of shellfish.
1. Carolina Reaper. It will be bred by selective breeding, and thrill-seekers claim that the "reaper" has a sweet taste of citrus and even a little chocolate. But it is recommended to take it only with gloves.
Hot pepper is not just a seasoning for dishes, it is also a very useful vegetable that helps to activate the process of digesting heavy foods, has a disinfectant effect, improves hair growth, and also helps to restore potency in men. But it is always worth remembering that the main thing in this case is not to overdo it, because everything is good in moderation.
We will tell you how the ratings of the hottest peppers in the world are formed, who took pride of place and what variety is now at the top of the rating, what is cooked from the hottest peppers and talk about spicy eating competitions and pepper festivals.
World rankings, how to choose the hottest peppers in the world
The first ratings of peppers of the genus Capsicum were compiled in ancient times in their homeland - in Latin America. The indigenous people cultivated dozens of species, and the peppers had their own “table of ranks”. Its existence was reported to the Royal Court by a Spanish conquistador. The Indians distinguished 6 degrees of hotness, divided the hotness into volumetric, covering the entire body, and point hotness.
From a scientific point of view, the first rating was compiled by the American chemist Wilbur Scoville in 1912. The units of its hotness scale indicate how many parts of sweet water should be added to 1 part of an alcohol solution of pepper (the same concentration for all types). For example, far from being the hottest pepper in the world, the Habanero has 300,000 units. This means that 1 milliliter of pepper tincture must be dissolved in 30 buckets (!) of sweet water in order for the burning effect to disappear.
Mr. Wilbur Scoville
An important role in conducting objective assessments and tests to identify the hottest peppers in the world belongs to the Guinness Book of Records. Inspectors from Guinness are present during the tests and award places for hotness to various peppers.
Hot pepper breeders almost every year bring out new varieties that claim to be the hottest pepper. The world ranking of the hottest peppers is constantly changing. The entry of a new variety even into the top 10 hottest peppers in the world is a great success. The variety will be in demand by producers of the most spicy food and sauces.
Forerunners of the fiery front, what is it - the hottest pepper in the world
For a long time, the classic Habanero pepper was considered the hottest pepper in the world. In different variations of the variety, it has up to 350,000 units of hotness. It is Habanero that is part of the most common Tabasco hot sauce.
The huge interest in Chinese and Mexican cuisine, primarily in the United States, caused a sharp struggle among pepper farmers for the world's hotness throne.
Until 2006, the hottest pepper, over the previous 12 years, would be Red Savina pepper from the Habanero clan, which produces 450,000-580,000 units.
Red Savina (Red Savina pepper)
The first millionaire was the Trinidad Scorpion (Trinidad Scorpion), 800,000-1,000,000 units of heat.
Trinidad Scorpion (Trinidad Scorpion)
In 2011, he was defeated by the Indian Bhut Jolokia (Bhut jolokia or Ghost Chili), 800,000 - 1,001,304 units. Recall that in order to stop burning this pepper in the form of 1 cube (1 ml) of tincture, a cubic meter kvass barrel of sweet water is needed for dilution!
Bhut jolokia or Ghost Chili
Several varieties were slightly short of 1,500,000 units: Gibralta, Infinity chili and Naga Viper. These peppers can hardly be called seasoning, and even more so food.
The race continues. The 1,500,000 club includes several strains, including Trinidad Scorpion Butch T and 7 Pot Douglah, which produces 1,800,000 units.
At the top of this stinging pyramid is the natural variety Trinidad Moruga Scorpion, yielding over 2,000,000 units.
Trinidad Moruga Scorpion
And here it is, the winner! Carolina Reaper, 2,200,000 units of hotness - this is the hottest pepper in the world!
Ratings of spicy dishes and sauces
Any dishes and sauces become spicy from the presence of hot peppers in them. The hotter the pepper on the scale of hotness and the more it is in the dish, the hotter the food will be.
It follows that the ratings for the hotness of spicy dishes and sauces are conditional. You can take a couple of Trinidad scorpions, grind them, add salt and a drop of tomato and mayonnaise on top. Let's call the salad "Tenderness". When tasting for hotness, this salad will take first place. And the tasters will be taken to the hospital. By the way, check out our selection.
There is traditional spicy food, but it can be eaten. This, Indian paal, Arabic couscous and many other dishes.
Much is being done to attract customers. Famous restaurateurs declare their dishes with a lot of hot peppers as the hottest dishes in the world. An example is the sharpest wings from Robin Rosenberg. Remove the wings and leave one pepper - this will be a salad from Petya Ivanov, which is objectively 50 times spicier than the wings ...
Normal spicy food has 2-3 thousand units of hotness and this is quite enough. For the most spicy sauces, 10,000 is enough, although there are samples of African sauces that have up to 22,000 Scovilles of heat.
Competitions in speed and volume of eating spicy dishes, festivals of peppers
This type of entertainment is directly dangerous to health. Any eating or drinking of anything at speed is, by definition, a strange activity. You can drink a bucket of milk in a short time and the body itself will reject this violence against it. With hot peppers, the picture will be slightly different. Most of the participants in these "competitions" end their performances in a hospital bed.
Gladiator fights and dog fights were rejected by mankind and banned almost everywhere. Manufacturers of hot sauces and snacks often become shadow sponsors of pepper-eating competitions. Often without realizing that a short-term attraction of the attention of the townsfolk and some short-term profit does not compensate for the aversion to a wonderful product that arises in normal people.
Hot pepper, sauces and dishes based on it are a solid and unfussy thing. It requires a thoughtful approach and a leisurely getting used to the sharpness.
Another thing is the numerous and colorful pepper festivals that take place around the world. They do not discredit the wonderful plant and its fruits, but on the contrary, they popularize pepper and its products in every possible way.
pepper festival
Ratings of peppers for spiciness, ratings of sauces and dishes with pepper have firmly entered our lives. Pepper continues to influence the development of human civilization and food culture in all countries without exception. Various ratings, folk festivals of pepper, official and other events are aimed at popularizing this useful vegetable crop, they contribute to the active work of scientists and breeders in breeding new varieties of peppers.