Ghost Peppers

 

The Ghost Pepper is the hottest pepper in the world. Just having the pepper exposed to the air could cause a 10 minute coughing fit. So, where did this pepper come from and what can be done with it? The Ghost Pepper comes from India and is also known as Bhut Jolokia. The Guinness World Records has recognized this Pepper as the hottest on earth. The New Mexico Chile Pepper Institute grew a pepper that was 1,001,304 heat units. India came on the scene and claimed they grew a Bhut Jolokia pepper that was 1,041,427 heat units.

The Bhut Jolokia Pepper was recognized in the year 2000. At the time, the Red Savina Habanera was supposed to be the hottest and it was recorded by the Guinness World Records. To test it out, Paul Bosland from New Mexico decided to take the seeds of the pepper and grow them to see if the pepper was really the hottest. The process took about three years. In the year 2007, the Guinness World Records recognized the Bhut Jolokia, or Ghost Pepper, the hottest pepper in the world. It was published in the 2008 issue.

The Bhut Jolokia is hard to grow but it can be done. Some simple things to know before you grow your seeds are that your soil needs to be at least 75 to 90 degrees through the entire growing process. Also, the soil cannot be soggy and wet but also cannot be completely dry at any time during growing season. To germinate, it can take up to a month. And lastly, the Ghost Pepper has a long growing season, up to 160 days. To grow these plants, you would need the right kind of region. The regions to grow these are Hawaii, North-East, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast/Gulf Coast, Upper Midwest, Southwest, and the Central West Coast. Before the seeds are germinating, they don’t need light but once they have germinated you need to provide light for the seeds. Don’t just immediately put the plants outside after 2-3 months of being indoors. They need to get used to the outdoor environment so keep them outside at first for a couple hours, and then take them back inside. After about a week, then you can put them outside in the garden for the rest of the growing season. If you have too much wind or salty air, the plant could die. To prevent this, you could use a one gallon potting container.

When you cook with the Ghost Pepper, you have to protect your eyes and wear gloves. The peppers’ particles can get into the air and cause temporary blindness and it can burn your hands if you don’t use gloves. Using one whole pepper in your food dishes could be very bad. Even in India, they say that only half of the pepper could be too hot in a batch of curry. It is highly encouraged to just touch your food with the pepper by holding the stem, and not actually eating it. It could cause severe pain in your mouth and if the oils get anywhere near the eyes, it could cause blindness. So don’t eat a whole Bhut Jolokia pepper because some testers of the plant describe feeling as if they were dying.

Even though the Bhut Jolokia is very hot, there are recipes that you can enjoy with just the right amount of the pepper. One popular recipe is the Bhut Jolokia Chili Sauce and even then it says to only use 1 drop at a time. Another recipe is the Bhut Jolokia Salsa. It is seasoned with the Ghost Pepper which gives it its fiery taste that you can enjoy. One more recipe that includes the Ghost Pepper is a recipe for chocolate. It is called Bhut Jolokia Chili Chocolate. If you like dark chocolate, this chocolate could be in your food wheel. It has the sweet taste of chocolate and a heated after taste.

Although the Ghost Pepper is edible, it is a dangerous pepper. If it comes in contact with the eyes, it could cause blindness. This pepper should never come in contact with open wounds, eyes, or even the nose. When you eat the pepper, you could have a burning feeling in your stomach for 20-30 minutes. Even one single seed from this pepper could burn your mouth severely. If you enjoy the burn in your mouth from a delicious chili pepper, then taste the Bhut Jolokia pepper, if you dare.