Description

BHUT JOLOKIA CHILLI

✓ Heat level: 8/10

✓ 400 times hotter than Tabasco sauce

✓ Flavour: hints of tomato

✓ Contains no artificial preservatives or colourings

✓ SHU (Scoville scale) – 1,000,000

What is Bhut Jolokia chilli and where does it come from?

The Bhut Jolokia, also known as the Ghost Pepper, is the world’s hottest chilli. It is twice as hot as the Mexican Red Savina, which is the second hottest chilli. It is twice as hot as the Habanero chilli and three times as hot as Cayenne.

The Ghost Pepper is a hybrid chilli grown in north-eastern India. It gets its name from its translation, as ‘Bhut Jolokia’ means ‘ghost chilli’ in Assamese. Ghost chilli pods are unique amongst chillies due to their distinctive shape and brittle skin.

The ghost chilli, which is 170 times hotter than Tabasco sauce, was officially recognised by the Guinness World Records in 2007 as the world’s hottest chilli. The Ghost Chilli (SHU) has been rated at over one million Scoville heat units.

Is the Bhut Jolokia chilli healthy, or is it actually dangerous?

Despite its rather fiery nature, this chilli also has quite a few health benefits. It has been observed that regular consumption of Bhut Jolokia helps prevent cancer, heart disease and skin conditions, lowers blood sugar levels and even produces antioxidants.

It has been used as a homeopathic remedy for stomach aches, as a way to combat the summer heat, and as a staple ingredient in many parts of India and Bangladesh. Usually, after eating Bhut Jolokia, a person begins to sweat profusely, which ultimately causes their body temperature to drop. This makes coping with the summer heat considerably easier. 

How is the Bhut Jolokia chilli used?

The Bhut Jolokia chilli adds sweet, fruity aromas and a gradually building heat to sauces, stews and marinades. However, due to its extreme heat, it must be handled with great care. As well as being extremely hot, this chilli offers the complex layers of flavour characteristic of Indian cuisine when added to stews, chopped into sauces or sprinkled over meat.

Ghost chillies are ideal for making hot sauces, drying into a powder or chilli flakes, or chopping up and cooking in larger dishes, such as a stew or even chilli con carne. They work well in these dishes precisely because of their heat and fruity flavour.

Be careful when cooking with Bhut Jolokia. It is important to wear gloves and protect your eyes.

The Ghost Chilli has a strong, sweet, fruity flavour. For the first 30–45 seconds, you’ll feel almost no heat at all. When the heat kicks in, prepare for shortness of breath, gasping for air, sweating and watery eyes. The heat usually intensifies over 10–15 minutes and subsides after 30–40 minutes.

It cannot be emphasised enough just how hot this chilli is. So be particularly careful when handling it and allow plenty of time, as when in a hurry you can often accidentally touch your face or eyes with your hands.

An incredible fact

The Bhut Jolokia chilli has also been used as a weapon; residents of north-eastern India use it on their fences to deter elephants, and it has even been used to make smoke bombs.

Researchers at the Indian Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) announced in 2009 their intention to incorporate this chilli into hand grenades as a non-lethal alternative to pepper spray for riot control or self-defence. According to the DRDO, ‘civilian versions’ of chilli bombs may also be used to control and disperse crowds. 

For example, in August 2015, the Indian Army used chilli bombs made from Bhut Jolokia to drive out terrorists hiding in a cave.