Ghost pepper

The name bhüt jolokia (ভোট জলকীয়া) means Bhutanese pepper in Assamese; the first element bhüt, meaning Bhutanese, was mistakenly confused for a near-homonym bhut meaning ghost, thus producing the English (mis-)translation "ghost pepper".[4]

In Assam,[9] the pepper is also known as bih zôlôkia ('poison chili'), denoting the plant's heat.[10] In Assamese, bih means poison and zôlôkia means chili or pepper, making the literal translation poison pepper, obviously referring to its extreme spiciness.[11]

In Bangladesh, the pepper is referred to as Naga morich ('Naga chili'). Similarly, in Nagaland, one of the regions of cultivation, the chili is called Naga jolokia ('Naga chili'; also romanized nôga zôlôkia) and bhut jolokia (also romanized bhût zôlôkiya).[10] This name is especially common in other regions where it is grown, such as Assam and Manipur.[10] Other usages on the subcontinent are Saga jolokia, Indian mystery chili and Indian rough chili.[10]

It has also been called the Tezpur chili after the Assamese city of Tezpur.[12] In Manipur, the chili is called umorok[13] or oo-morok ('tree chili').

In 2000, India's Defence Research Laboratory (DRL) reported a Scoville rating for the ghost pepper of 855,000 SHUs,[14] and in 2004 a rating of 1,041,427 SHUs was made using HPLC analysis.[15] For comparison, Tabasco red pepper sauce rates at 2,500–5,000, and pure capsaicin (the chemical responsible for the pungency of pepper plants) rates at 16,000,000 SHUs. In 2005, New Mexico State University's Chile Pepper Institute in Las Cruces, New Mexico[16] found ghost peppers grown from seed in southern New Mexico to have a Scoville rating of 1,001,304 SHUs by HPLC.[5] Unlike most peppers, ghost peppers produce capsaicin in vesicles found in both the placenta around the seeds and throughout the fruit, rather than just in the placenta.[17]

Ripe peppers measure 60 to 85 mm (2.4 to 3.3 in) long and 25 to 30 mm (1.0 to 1.2 in) wide with a red, yellow, orange, or chocolate color. The unselected strain of ghost peppers from India is an extremely variable plant, with a wide range in fruit sizes and fruit production per plant, and offers huge potential for developing much better strains through selection in the future. Ghost pepper pods are unique among peppers because of their characteristic shape and very thin skin.[18] However, the red fruit variety has two different types: the rough, dented fruit and the smooth fruit. The rough fruit plants are taller, with more fragile branches, while the smooth fruit plants yield more fruit and is a compact with sturdier branches.[19] It takes about 7–12 days to germinate at 32–38 °C.

The ghost pepper

Ghost peppers are used as a food and a spice.[6] It is used in both fresh and dried forms to "heat up" curries, pickles and chutneys. It is popularly used in combination with pork or dried or fermented fish. In northeastern India, the peppers are smeared on fences or incorporated in smoke bombs as a safety precaution to keep wild elephants at a distance.[20][21] The pepper's intense heat makes it a fixture in competitive chili-pepper eating.[22]

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  Ghost pepper leaf, about 10-day-old plant
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  Ghost pepper leaf, about 30-day-old plant
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  Ghost pepper plant, 40 days old, grown in coco peat
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  Peach ghost pepper
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  Yellow ghost pepper
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  Chocolate ghost pepper
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  Purple ghost pepper
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  Red ghost pepper

• List of Capsicum cultivars
• Nagabon