Ghost Pepper (Bhut Jolokia)

Known by many names in the different Indian provinces. The most common names include Bhut jolokia, Bih jolokia, Nagahari, Raja Mircha, Raja chilli or Borbih jolokiai, the Bhut Jolokia is cultivated in the Nagaland and Assam region of northeastern India and parts of neighboring Bangladesh.

The word Bhut, given from the Bhutias people, means “ghost” and was probably given the name because of the way the heat sneaks up on the one who eats it.

The Bhut Jolokia has been around for many centuries, but was only introduced to the western world in 2000. In 2007 The Ghost Pepper was certified as the hottest Chili Pepper on the planet in The Guinness Book of World Records.

Ripe peppers measure 2.5 to 3.3 inches long with a red, yellow, orange, white, purple or chocolate color.

TASTE (AND HEAT): The first flavor you will notice is an intense sweet chili flavor, the heat does not kick in for 30 – 45 seconds. Once the heat kicks in, expect sweating, watery eyes, hiccups and shortness of breath. The burning generally intensifies over 10 – 15 minutes and subsides after 30 – 40 minutes.

TIP: Don’t touch any of the super hots with bare hands. Use latex or nitril gloves when handling hot peppers or seeds. I have found that with simple plastic food prep gloves, the pepper oil still gets through. If this happens to you, check out how to stop the hot pepper burn here.