Even though it is no longer the world's hottest pepper the Bhut Jolokia is presently the standard for capsicum heat. Gone are the days when the Habanero was the hottest pepper around and when the mere mention of Scotch Bonnets could make even the most manly food lovers recoil in terror. The Bhut Jolokia, also known as the ghost pepper, has been around long enough to have been eclipsed twice as hottest pepper in the Guinness Book of World Records, but only within the few last years has it become widely recognized and popular. These days no food can be considered truly hot unless it has the notorious ghost pepper, or one of the hybrid ghost peppers like the Naga Viper, as a main ingredient. Even so, not many of its fans know a lot about it. Such knowledge is useful even for people who are not fond of spicy food as they should know what they are avoiding.
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How hot is the Bhut Jolokia?
The Scoville rating is the accepted method of rating peppers according to hotness. It gives eaters an idea of how hot a pepper is before tasting by providing a comparison. A Jalapeno pepper is rated at 2,500 heat units on the Scoville scale. A Bhut Jolokia pepper is rated at 855,000 heat units.
How easy is it to grow the Bhut Jolokia?
They germinate in roughly 12 days and will require about five months to the first harvest. The ripe peppers will be about 2 to 3 inches in length. The quantity of peppers in the harvest and the size of the individual peppers can vary widely among individual plants.
What can you make with bhut jolokia peppers?
Due to the pungent heat, hot sauces and dried peppers are very popular. These methods of using ghost peppers extend its shelf-life since only a small amount is used at a time. Apart from those, the peppers can be used in the same ways as more familiar hot peppers.
Can Bhut Jolokias harm you?
The chemical in Bhut Jolokias that causes them to burn is called capsaicin. While capsaicin produces a sensation of burning when it comes into contact with mucous membranes it does not actually cause physical damage.
How do you stop the pain?
Acidic substances in certain foods can help to wash away the alkaline capsaicin. Dairy products in particular are useful because the fat contained can help break up the capsaicin.