Status: True (I think)
A British mail-order chili firm, Peppers by Post, claims that it has developed the hottest chili in the world.
Its website states:
We – Michael and Joy Michaud – grow chillies and sell them by mail order to customers throughout Great Britain... One of the items in our catalogue is Dorset Naga, an exceptionally hot variety that we developed from a Bangladeshi chilli known as Naga Morich. In 2005 we collected a sample of this chilli, and had it tested for heat by two laboratories in the USA. The result, measured in Scoville Heat Units (SHU), were astounding: taking an average of the two, Dorset Naga came in at 923,000 SHU. To put this figure in context, the Guinness world record for the hottest chilli is currently held by Red Savina, which was once measured at 577,000 SHU... This makes Dorset Naga more than 50% hotter than Red Savina, and clearly a contender for the title ‘hottest chilli in the world’.
The rest of the website is full of facts and information about the Dorset Naga, making me inclined to believe that what they say is true: that the Dorset Naga really is the hottest chili in the world. But here's the catch. The news about the Dorset Naga appeared in many newspapers on April 1.
The April 1st United Press International article notes:
They said they even have to wear gloves when they harvest the seeds. "Most people don't cook with it; they just have it near to them when they eat," said Aktar Miha, of the Indis Bangladeshi restaurant in Bournemouth, England. "If you don't know what you are doing it could blow your head off."
That kind of sounds like they're joking. Nevertheless, I don't think the Dorset Naga is a joke. But real or not, I don't plan to ever try this stuff. I like my taste buds too much to do that to them.
Comments
I remember when I was a kid, Jalapenos were popularized, and anything spicy had to have them or was considered weak.
Then, about fifteen years ago, Habaneros hit the stage. Suddenly, anything hot and spicy had to have these 'ultimate' peppers.
The current trend is Chipotle peppers, which aren't that *hot*, just have more *flavor*.. I guess people have decided that they like being able to taste more than intense burning.
*-*
Michaud is American (judging by his accent) and regularly makes contributions on polytunnel growing - particularly chillies and tomatoes.
So unless, he's playing an April Fool's joke his claim deserves proper consideration.
Chipotle, by the way, is merely a smoked, ripe Jalapeno.
The other descriptions are no doubt true, though. It is always a good idea to wear rubber gloves when handling hot peppers. And the first time I took a bite out of a fresh Habanero (I used to grow them on my balcony), I involuntarily slammed myself against the kitchen wall in a reflex reaction.
So why eat something you can't even touch with your hands? Well, machismo has a lot to do with it. But it's also true that capsaicin (the hot chemical in chiles) stimulates the production of endorphins (natural opiate-like chemicals) in the brain, so burning up your tongue can produce a kind of natural high.
As to whether you could grow Nagas in Dorset, I have no idea.
Actually, the ones in the photo look like a variation of the red Habanero, which is certainly one of the world's hottest peppers (it's a bit hotter than the more common orange or golden Habanero), but, as I said, it originates in the Caribbean/Yucatan region, not in Asia.
Bascially, he reckons that he chose only certain seeds and kept growing the strongest in the crop and after having an analysis done it showed as being a world record. They showed the paper work and his greehouses on the show and had an interview with a local cornershop guy selling them in a tub.
Didn't really think of it as a joke at the time because most april fool items in the uk tend to be a bit more bizarre. For example a few years back in the local papers they announced a miltary radar dish being installed in the middle of southampton common.
She told me that she sells the majority of the crop to a hot sauce maker who makes Mr. Naga Chilli Sauce.
I sought out the sauce and although it is sold out, found it at Chilliworld.
Tina Brooks
Peppermaster Hot Sauces.
While writing this comment, I accidentally burned my nose on this page.
T
Here I raise three kids of hot peppers and two types of sweet peppers. The local peppers seem to do much better than the imported varities. We have also raised the Habanero type of peppers, but they were
too hot and we lost the seeds. We hope to bring some seed in for planting in the fall. Would you like us to try raising the Dorset Naga here next year also. Is the seed hybrid or open pollinated?
EM Mantaring
Santol, Boac, Marinduque, Philippines
T
As to whether you could grow Nagas in Dorset, I have no idea.
Posted by John in UK on Mon Apr 10, 2006 at 10:16 AM Send to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Anyone thinking it was an April Fool's Day joke should read the article.
T
The naga morich has been tested be the respected New Mexico State University (NMSU)Chile Pepper Institute and its offical at 1,001,304 SHU, 4 times hotter than the Red Savinas, they really are the hottest in the world.
http://thechileman.blogspot.com/
Mark
I'm away from home and don't know how my nagas are doing, hopefully they are getting sufficiently watered!
Ultimately, I think we have a winner. The BBC Gardener's World show broadcast results of pepper tests on the 20th October and the Dorset Naga, the British off-shoot of the Naga almost scored a whopping 1.6 million.
See the Warwick Horticulture Research International (HRI) results of the tests shown here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/tv_and_radio/factsheets/pages/46.shtml
Here is a close up picture of a mock up bottle of our new Naga Snakebite Extreme Sauce. You can almost see the Naga fumes seaping out the bottle. :shock:
Imaguitargod (one of our friends on the hot pepper forum) stupidly ate 1 Naga in his infamous thread.
http://www.thehotpepper.com/showthread.php?t=1324
Imagine what a sauce with upto 10 Fresh Naga Morich peppers in it tastes like
More info (for those interested) can be found on thechileman site (http://www.thechileman.org).
Mark
these peppers are for real
it was in national geographic
they really do have untis to measure the heat
a jalapeno is a 5500
and a Dorset naga is a 923,000
but the hottest pepper is said to be the Bhut pepper which is a 1 mil
Fwiw, the Dorset Naga has been clocked at 1.5 mil. They're all capable of it.
It's a wonder to me that the beauty that is this chili isn't its heat, which is extraordinary, but its flavour. This is the most wonderfully pungent chili we have ever had the pleasure to work with. And that goes for whatever name you call it. I always pinch one from the kitchen to keep by my desk. They gas the wonderful aroma of fresh apricots and overripe peaches!
My mother occasionally adds a Naga morich to a curry just to spice things up, and it always gives me the "runs" the day after.
My grandmother, mother and aunties all grow the naga morich plant every summer and they also grow Bangladeshi vegetables, like the "Khodoo" (I don't know the English name of this vegetable, but you'll find it in every Bengali grocers).
I was wondering if there is anyone out there who would like to create a plantation of Bangladeshi vegetables and fruits. Its good business.
I'm raising my own hybrids between this and other chinense species this year.
I have investors interested in working with Bangladeshis in establishing fair trade certified plantations.
Do contact me.
It has been my experience that ones' ability to eat chillies and their race have nothing to do with each other. There are people of all nationalities who are unable to handle heat, just as there are people of all nationalities who can handle serious heat.
It is entirely a question of personal preference and often a question of practice. The more one eats, the more one can handle.
Anyhows, am loving the Naga's - apparently chilli pepper pete from the UK has grown some Naga's in Spain which are the current contender for the hottest Chilli in the World.
Peace out.
Danny
BIGDADDY THE CHILE MAN
FYI the Dorset Naga appears to be just a poorly grown Bhut Jolokia Ghost pepper.
If the "Dorset Naga is a poorly grown Bhut Jolokia Ghost Pepper", then why did it register as 1.5 times hotter than the Bhut Jolokia grown by the Chile Pepper Institute?
See more info here: http://everything2.com/title/World's+hottest+chilli+pepper
Perhaps the Michauds are better horticulturists?
Fwiw, they're the same pepper, regardless of where you grow them.