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Ghost pepper

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"text": "The ghost pepper is a superhot chili pepper grown in Northeast India. It belongs to the species Capsicum chinense. Scientists have found that it may also contain genetic material from Capsicum frutescens. This happened through a process called introgression, where genetic material moves between species. The pepper is famous for its extreme heat. It is known by many regional names. In Assam, it is called Bhut jolokia, which means \"Bhutanese pepper.\" This name came from a mistake. People confused a word meaning \"Bhutanese\" with a similar sounding word for \"ghost.\" In Nagaland, it is often called Raja mirja, or \"King chili.\" Other names include \"king cobra chili\" and \"Indian mystery chili.\"\n\n

Bhoot Jolokia ( Ghost Chili pepper )
Bhoot Jolokia ( Ghost Chili pepper )

\n\nThe intense heat of the pepper comes from a chemical called capsaicin. Capsaicin is the substance responsible for the pungency in many pepper plants. Most peppers only hold this chemical in the placenta around the seeds. Ghost peppers are unique because they produce capsaicin in vesicles throughout the entire fruit. This means the heat is spread everywhere, not just near the seeds. Scientists measure this heat using Scoville Heat Units, or SHUs. In 2000, India's Defence Research Laboratory reported a rating of 855,000 SHUs. By 2004, HPLC analysis showed a rating of 1,041,427 SHUs. For comparison, Tabasco sauce only rates between 2,500 and 5,000 SHUs. Pure capsaicin is much stronger, rating at 16,000,000 SHUs.\n\n

\n\nHistory shows that the ghost pepper has held several world records. In 2007, Guinness World Records certified it as the world's hottest chili pepper. It was 170 times hotter than Tabasco sauce at that time. However, other peppers have since taken this title. The Trinidad Scorpion Butch T pepper surpassed it in 2011. The Carolina Reaper became the hottest in 2013. Most recently, Pepper X was named the hottest in 2023. These changes show

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File:Bhoot Jolokia ( Ghost Chili pepper ).jpg
Bhoot Jolokia ( Ghost Chili pepper ).jpg
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