
When looking at the measures of Carolina Reaper and ghost pepper on the Scoville scale, it can be easy to get lost in the heat and forget what makes them so unique and distinctive.ĭue to this common oversight, many individuals are unaware of how extraordinary each of these peppers is on their own. The Bhut Jolokia, also known by its more famous names such as Bih Jolokia, Bhut jolokia, Nagahari, Raja chili, Raja Mircha, or Borbih Jolokia, has been grown in the Nagaland and Assam area of northeastern India and since the word “bhut” translates to “ghost” in the Assamese language, this kind of pepper is often referred to as the “ghost pepper” in the English-speaking countries. The Guinness Book of World Records officially recognized the ghost pepper as the chili pepper with the highest measured level of heat in the year 2007 however, the current record holder is the Carolina Reaper. In the same year, a study was released claiming that its degree of heat was almost twice that of a Red Savina Habanero, which was thought to be the hottest pepper in the world.

However, it wasn’t until 2000 that Bhut Jolokia was first introduced to the western world, belonging to the Capsicum Chinese family like Scotch Bonnet, Habanero, and Red Savina. Originally from Northeast India and Bangladesh, the ghost pepper has been around for generations. Later, Guinness World Records declared the Carolina Reaper the hottest chili pepper in the world.

His passion for heat was a significant factor in his ability to set off a chain reaction throughout a whole sector.įinally, individuals around the world began to take notice. Their farm is still one of the biggest on the east coast, with over 100,000 pepper plants.Īfter years of cultivation, Ed broke new ground in the chili pepper market when he developed the Carolina Reaper. As a result of the increasing demand for his peppers, Ed and his wife Linda concluded that it was time to establish a legitimate farm in the early 2000s. ( 1) When Ed began cultivating peppers in South Carolina in the 1980s, he marked the beginning of his spice adventure.īy the 1990s, more than 800 plants colonized every space in his house and that of his friends, relatives, and neighbors. Undoubtedly, both are mega-hot chilies they differ in origin, appearance, availability, cultivation, heat level, and more.Įd Currie, the discoverer of the Carolina Reaper, the hottest pepper in the world, is what you would call a “chili head” who knows that hot enough is never hot enough.
