*Assam's 'bhut jolokia' world's hottest chili* New Delhi, June 18 (PTI): The 'bhut jolokia' or 'ghost chilis' of Tezpur in Assam figure in the Time magazine's latest issue as the world's hottest chili.
The magazine's cover story that takes a look at the culinary specialities and peculiarities around the world has zeroed in on the burnt orange pods, developed in a military laboratory in Tezpur, as packing the deadliest punch. The article 'Global Warming' notes that the 'bhut jolokia', also called the Naga chili, carries the sort of heat that one normally would find only in the hottest chili sauces made from pure pepper extract. Chili heat is measured in Scoville Heat Units (SHUs), and while pure capsaicin, the main capsaicinoid in a chili, measures 16 million SHUs, the ghost chili measures just over one million SHUs. A bell pepper typically measures zero, while the spiciest Thai chilies come in at around one lakh SHUs and most people are reduced to tears by eating anything around two lakh. In September, 2000, the Defence Research Laboratory in Tezpur had announced that it had identified the hottest chili in the world. Now, the laboratory is contemplating applying for Geographical Indication Certification to ensure that only 'bhut jolokias' from North-eastern India are sold as such. Previously, the hottest chili ever measured was the Red Savina that was grown by a commercial chili farmer in California, the US, and measured 5,77,000 SHUs.
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