{{short description|Chili pepper cultivated in Northeast India}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}} {{Infobox cultivar | name = Ghost pepper | image = Bhut-Jolokia-pc.jpg | image_caption = Red (ripe) and green ghost pepper fruits | origin = Northeast India (especially in Assam, Manipur and Nagaland)<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.frontalagritech.com/chillies-peppers-herbs |title= It is extensively cultivated in northeastern India, especially in the states of Assam, Nagaland, Manipur. |author= <!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |publisher= Frontal Agritech |access-date=January 12, 2026 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230210110219/https://www.frontalagritech.com/chillies-peppers-herbs |archive-date=10 February 2023 }}</ref> | species = ''Capsicum chinense'' | module = {{Infobox pepper | embed = yes | heat = Exceptionally hot | scoville = 855,000 - 1,040,000 }} }}
The '''ghost pepper''',<ref>{{cite news|last=Gamillo|first=Elizabeth|date=3 August 2018|title=Ghost peppers are saving U.S. grasslands—by scaring off hungry mice|work=Science|url=https://www.science.org/content/article/ghost-peppers-are-saving-us-grasslands-scaring-hungry-mice|access-date=25 June 2019|archive-date=20 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220320034401/https://www.science.org/content/article/ghost-peppers-are-saving-us-grasslands-scaring-hungry-mice|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Deepak|first=Sharanya|date=1 January 2019|title=The Incredible Story of Bhut Jolokia: From Rural India to Dumb YouTube Stunts|work=Taste|url=https://www.tastecooking.com/many-lives-king-chile/|access-date=25 June 2019}}</ref> also known as '''{{lang|as|bhut jolokia}}''' ({{lit.|Bhutanese pepper}} or 'ghost pepper' in Assamese<ref>{{Cite web|title=Definition of BHUT JOLOKIA|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bhut+jolokia|access-date=2020-10-26|website=www.merriam-webster.com|language=en|archive-date=4 September 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240904033126/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bhut%20jolokia|url-status=live}}</ref>) or '''{{lang|as|naga jolokia}}''', is a superhot chili pepper cultivated in Northeast India.<ref name="bosland">{{cite web |author=Shaline L. Lopez |url=http://www.nmsu.edu/~ucomm/Releases/2007/february/hottest_chile.htm |title=NMSU is home to the world's hottest chile pepper |year=2007 |access-date=21 February 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070219124128/http://www.nmsu.edu/~ucomm/Releases/2007/february/hottest_chile.htm |archive-date=19 February 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Associated Press">{{cite news |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/20058096 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130228030504/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/20058096/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=28 February 2013 |title='Ghost chile' burns away stomach ills - Diet & Nutrition - NBC News |agency=Associated Press |year=2007 |access-date=5 August 2007 }}</ref> In 2007, ''Guinness World Records'' certified that the ghost pepper was the world's hottest chili pepper, 170 times hotter than Tabasco sauce. The ghost chili is rated at more than one million Scoville Heat Units (SHUs) and far surpasses the amount of a habanero. However, the ghost chili has since been superseded by the Trinidad Scorpion Butch T pepper in 2011, the Carolina Reaper in 2013 and Pepper X in 2023.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/1/hottest-chili |title=Hottest Chili |newspaper=Guinness World Records |access-date=11 November 2023 |archive-date=24 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140924041301/http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/1/hottest-chili |url-status=live }}</ref>
Ghost pepper belongs to the species ''Capsicum chinense'', but RAPD analysis indicates the presence of some genetic material from ''Capsicum frutescens'' from an introgression event, however, there is no indication that this is related to its exceptional heat.<ref name="hortscience">{{cite journal |author=Paul W. Bosland |author2=Jit B. Baral |title='Bhut Jolokia'—The World's Hottest Known Chile Pepper is a Putative Naturally Occurring Interspecific Hybrid |journal=Horticultural Science |year=2007 |volume=42 |issue=2 |pages=222–4 |url=http://www.chilepepperinstitute.org/content/files/JolokiaArt.pdf |access-date=11 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923202809/http://www.chilepepperinstitute.org/content/files/JolokiaArt.pdf |archive-date=23 September 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
==Etymology and regional names==
The name {{lang|as|bhut jolokia}} means 'Bhutanese pepper' in Assamese; the first element {{lang|as|bhut}} {{IPA|lang=as|/bʱʊt/}}, meaning 'Bhutanese', was mistakenly confused for a near-homonym {{lang|as|bhut}} {{IPA|lang=as|/bʱut/}}, meaning 'ghost'.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Definition of BHUT JOLOKIA |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bhut+jolokia |access-date=2020-10-26 |website=www.merriam-webster.com |language=en |archive-date=4 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240904033126/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bhut%20jolokia |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=16 September 2021|title=India's 'ghost pepper' is one of the hottest chillies. Can Britain handle it?|url=https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3148870/indias-ghost-pepper-chilli-so-hot-villagers-use-it}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-06-02|title=MasterChef Australia features eight of the hottest chillies on the planet; have you tried any?|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/food-wine/masterchef-australia-features-eight-of-the-hottest-chillies-on-the-planet-7334566/|access-date=2021-11-04|website=The Indian Express|language=en|archive-date=4 September 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240904033126/https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/food-wine/masterchef-australia-features-eight-of-the-hottest-chillies-on-the-planet-7334566/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-08-11 |title=Can Ghost Peppers Kill You? |url=https://health.howstuffworks.com/food-nutrition/can-ghost-peppers-kill.htm |access-date=2022-08-17 |website=HowStuffWorks |language=en-us |archive-date=4 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240904033233/https://health.howstuffworks.com/food-nutrition/can-ghost-peppers-kill.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>
In Assam,<ref>"The origin of the Chili lies in the north-eastern of India, in the region of Assam." https://chili-plant.com/chilli-varieties/bhut-jolokia-chili/</ref> the pepper is also known as {{lang|as|bih zôlôkia}} meaning 'poison chili', from Assamese {{lang|as|bih}} meaning 'poison' and {{lang|as|zôlôkia}} meaning 'chili pepper', denoting the plant's heat.<ref name="raktim" /> Similarly, in Nagaland, one of the regions of cultivation, the chili is called ''Raja mirja'' meaning King chili ('Naga king chili'; also romanized {{lang|as|nôga zôlôkia}}) and {{lang|as|bhut jolokia}} (also romanized {{lang|as|bhût zôlôkiya}}).<ref name="raktim">{{cite journal |title=Genetic Variability and Traditional Practices in Naga King Chili Landraces of Nagaland |pages=171–180 |author=Raktim Ranjan Bhagowati |journal=Asian Agri-History |year=2009 |volume=13 |issue=3 |url=http://www.agri-history.org/pdf/171%20to%20180.pdf |display-authors=etal |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720103043/http://www.agri-history.org/pdf/171%20to%20180.pdf |archive-date=20 July 2011 }}</ref> This name is especially common in other regions where it is grown, such as Assam and Manipur.<ref name="raktim" /> It has also been called the Tezpur chili after the Assamese city of Tezpur.<ref name="tezpur">{{cite book |title=The Complete Chile Pepper Book |page=158 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=90M5Tw0530gC&pg=PA158 |author=Dave DeWitt |author2=Paul W. Bosland |isbn=978-0-88192-920-1 |year=2009 |publisher=Timber Press}}</ref> In Manipur, the chili is called ''umorok''.<ref name="umorok">{{cite journal |title=Capsaicin Content and Pungency of Different Capsicum spp. Cultivars |pages=89–90 |author=Sanatombi K. |author2=G. J. Sharma |journal=Not. Bot. Hort. Agrobot. Cluj. |year=2008 |volume=36 |issue=2 |issn=1842-4309 |url=http://notulaebotanicae.ro/nbha/article/viewFile/345/346 |format=PDF |access-date=2 March 2011 |archive-date=23 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110823104048/http://notulaebotanicae.ro/nbha/article/viewFile/345/346 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In Northeast India, {{lang|as|bhut jolokia}} is also known as the "king chili" or "king cobra chilli'".<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://findmeacure.com/2009/06/27/bhut-jolokia-naga-chilli-king-chilli|title = Bhut Jolokia / Naga Chilli / King Chilli|date = Aug 2021|access-date = 25 August 2021|archive-date = 25 August 2021|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210825165039/https://findmeacure.com/2009/06/27/bhut-jolokia-naga-chilli-king-chilli/|url-status = live}}</ref> Other usages on the subcontinent are ''naga jolokia'', 'Indian mystery chili' and 'Indian rough chili'.<ref name="raktim" />
==Scoville rating==
In 2000, India's Defence Research Laboratory (DRL) reported a Scoville rating for the ghost pepper of 855,000 SHUs,<ref name="currscience">{{cite journal |author=Mathur R |title=The hottest chili variety in India |journal=Current Science |year=2000 |volume=79 |issue=3 |url=http://www.ias.ac.in/currsci/aug102000/scr974.pdf |pages=287–8 |display-authors=etal |access-date=2 August 2006 |archive-date=29 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110829063133/http://www.ias.ac.in/currsci/aug102000/scr974.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> and in 2004 a rating of 1,041,427 SHUs was made using HPLC analysis.<ref name="fa">{{cite web |url=http://www.frontalagritech.co.in/products/bihjolokia_gen.htm |title=Bih jolokia |year=2006 |access-date=12 December 2006 |archive-date=13 December 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061213011514/http://www.frontalagritech.co.in/products/bihjolokia_gen.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> For comparison, Tabasco red pepper sauce rates at 2,500–5,000, and pure capsaicin (the chemical responsible for the pungency of pepper plants) rates at 16,000,000 SHUs. In 2005, New Mexico State University's Chile Pepper Institute in Las Cruces, New Mexico,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chilepepperinstitute.org/ |title=NMSU: The Chile Pepper Institute - Home |publisher=The Chile Pepper Institute |access-date=20 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161120165150/http://www.chilepepperinstitute.org/ |archive-date=20 November 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> found ghost peppers grown from seed in southern New Mexico to have a Scoville rating of 1,001,304 SHUs by HPLC.<ref name="bosland" /> Unlike most peppers, ghost peppers produce capsaicin in vesicles not only in the placenta around the seeds but also throughout the fruit.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Bosland|first1=Paul|last2=Coon|first2=Danise|last3=Cooke|first3=Peter H.|title=Novel Formation of Ectopic (Nonplacental) Capsaicinoid Secreting Vesicles on Fruit Walls Explains the Morphological Mechanism for Super-hot Chile Peppers|journal=Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science|date=June 2015|volume=140|issue=3|pages=253–256|doi=10.21273/JASHS.140.3.253|doi-access=free}}</ref>
==Characteristics== Ripe peppers measure {{convert|60|to|85|mm|abbr=on}} in length and {{convert|25|to|30|mm|abbr=on|1}} in width with a red, yellow, orange, or chocolate color. The unselected strain of ghost peppers from India is an extremely variable plant, with a wide range in fruit sizes and fruit production per plant. Ghost pepper pods are unique among peppers because of their characteristic shape and very thin skin.<ref name="NatGeo May 07">{{Cite news |last=Barker |first=Catherine L. |year=2007 |title=Hot Pod: World's Hottest |periodical=National Geographic Magazine |volume=2007 |issue=May |page=21}}</ref> However, the red fruit variety has two different types: the rough, dented fruit and the smooth fruit. The rough fruit plants are taller, with more fragile branches, while the smooth fruit plants yield more fruit and are compact with sturdier branches.<ref>Dremann, Craig Carlton. 2011. Redwood City Seed Company, Observations on the variations in the Bhut Jolokia pepper from seed reproduction growouts.</ref> It takes about 7–12 days to germinate at 32–38 °C.
{{col-begin}} {{col-break}} {| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%" |- ! Plant height | 45–120 cm (17–47 inches) |- ! Stem color | Green |- ! Leaf color | Green |- ! Leaf length | 10.65–14.25 cm |- ! Leaf width | 5.4–7.5 cm |- ! Pedicels per axil | 2 |- ! Corolla color | Yellow green |- ! Anther color | Pale blue |- ! Annular constriction | Present below calyx |- ! Fruit color at maturity | Red is the most common, with orange, yellow and chocolate as rarer varieties |} {{col-break}} {| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%" |- ! Fruit shape | Subconical to conical |- ! Fruit length | 5.95–8.54 cm |- ! Fruit width at shoulder | 2.5–2.95 cm |- ! Fruit weight | 6.95–8.97 g |- ! Fruit surface | Rough, uneven or smooth |- ! Seed color | Light tan |- ! 1000 seed weight | 4.1–5.2 g |- ! Seeds per fruit | 19–35 |- ! Hypocotyl color | Green |- ! Cotyledonous leaf shape | Deltoid |} {{col-end}}
==Uses== ===Culinary=== thumb|The ghost pepper Ghost peppers are used as a food and a spice.<ref name="Associated Press" /> It is used in both fresh and dried forms to heat up curries, pickles and chutneys. It is popularly used in combination with pork or dried or fermented fish. The pepper's intense heat makes it a fixture in competitive chili pepper eating.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/The-Gut-Wrenching-Science-Behind-the-Worlds-Hottest-Peppers-208350211.html#Burning-Desire-peppers-1.jpg|title=The Gut-Wrenching Science Behind the World's Hottest Peppers|author=Mary Roach|author-link=Mary Roach|date=June 2013|publisher=Smithsonian Magazine|access-date=4 December 2013|archive-date=27 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131227023920/http://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/The-Gut-Wrenching-Science-Behind-the-Worlds-Hottest-Peppers-208350211.html#Burning-Desire-peppers-1.jpg|url-status=dead}}</ref>
===Animal control=== In northeastern India, the peppers are smeared on fences or incorporated in smoke bombs as a safety precaution to keep wild elephants at a distance.<ref>{{cite web |last=Hussain |first=Wasbir |title=World's Hottest Chile Used as Elephant Repellent |publisher=National Geographic |date=20 November 2007 |url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/11/071120-AP-india-elephants.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071122081719/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/11/071120-AP-india-elephants.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=22 November 2007 |access-date=21 November 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=''Ghost Chile'' Scares Off Elephants |work=National Geographic News website |publisher=National Geographic |date=20 November 2007 |url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/11/photogalleries/elephant-pictures |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071124000026/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/11/photogalleries/elephant-pictures/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=24 November 2007 |access-date=18 August 2008}}</ref>
===Chili grenades=== {{Main|Chili grenade}} In 2009, scientists at India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) announced plans to use the peppers in hand grenades as a nonlethal method to control rioters with pepper sprays or in self-defence.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ibnlive.in.com/news/armys-new-weapon-worlds-hottest-chili/111958-19.html?from=tn |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100327091037/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/armys-new-weapon-worlds-hottest-chili/111958-19.html?from=tn |url-status=dead |archive-date=27 March 2010 |title=Army's new weapon: world's hottest chili - Trends News - IBNLive |publisher=Ibnlive.in.com |date=24 March 2010 |access-date=6 November 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/8119591.stm |title=South Asia | India plans hot chilli grenades. |work=BBC News |date=25 June 2009 |access-date=11 April 2010 |archive-date=1 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220401172910/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/8119591.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> The DRDO said that ghost pepper-based aerosol sprays could be used as a "safety device", and "civil variants" of chili grenades could be used to control and disperse mobs.<ref name="BBC24March2012">{{cite news |title=India scientists hail 'multi-purpose' chillis |first=Subir |last=Bhaumik |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8584988.stm |work=BBC News |location=City of Westminster, England |date=24 March 2010 |access-date=24 April 2012 |archive-date=7 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161107143213/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8584988.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> Chili grenades made from ghost peppers were successfully used by the Indian Army in August 2015 to flush out a terrorist hiding in a cave.<ref>{{cite news |title=Army used 'chilly grenades' to flush out Pak terrorist Sajjad Ahmed from a cave |url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/pakistani-militant-captured-army-used-chilly-grenades-to-catch-sajjad-ahmed/ |newspaper=The Indian Express |access-date=14 February 2016 |archive-date=4 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240904033126/https://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/pakistani-militant-captured-army-used-chilly-grenades-to-catch-sajjad-ahmed/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Gallery== <gallery mode="packed"> File:Bhut jolokia 10 Days.JPG|Ghost pepper leaf, about 10-day-old plant File:Bhut jolokia leaf.JPG|Ghost pepper leaf, about 30-day-old plant File:Bhut jolokia plant 40 days.JPG|Ghost pepper plant, 40 days old, grown in coco peat File:Peach Bhut Jolokia Ghost Pepper.jpg|Peach ghost pepper File:Yellow Bhut Jolokia Ghost Pepper.jpg|Yellow ghost pepper File:Chocolate Bhut Jolokia Ghost Pepper.jpg|Chocolate ghost pepper File:Purple Bhut Jolokia Ghost Pepper.jpg|Purple ghost pepper File:Red Bhut Jolokia Ghost PepperParadise.org.JPG|Red ghost pepper File:Bjhut-Jolokia.jpg|Ripe, harvested {{lang|as|bhut jolokia}} File:Bhut-Jolokia-plant.jpg|{{lang|as|Bhut jolokia}}/ghost pepper plant </gallery>
==See also== * Naga Morich * List of ''Capsicum'' cultivars
==References== {{Reflist|30em}} {{Chili peppers }} {{Capsicum cultivars}}
Category:Capsicum cultivars Category:Chili peppers Category:Medicinal plants of Asia Category:Flora of Assam (region)