The Bhut
Jolokia sometimes Naga Jolokia is a chili pepper formerly recognized by
Guinness World Records as the hottest pepper in the world.
The pepper is
typically called the ghost chili or ghost pepper by U.S. media.
Characteristics
Ripe peppers measure 60 to 85 mm (2.4 to 3.3 in) long and 25 to 30 mm (1.0
to 1.2 in) wide with an orange or red color. The unselected strain of Bhut
Jolokia from India is an extremely variable plant, with a wide range in
fruit sizes and amount of fruit production per plant, and offers a huge
potential for developing much better strains through selection in the
future.
Scoville rating
Bhut Jolokia chili pepper Heat Maximum (SHU: 1,041,427)
In 2000, India's Defence Research Laboratory (DRL) reported a rating of
855,000 heat units (SHU) on the Scoville scale, and in 2004 a rating of
1,041,427 units was made using HPLC analysis. 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
15,000,000–16,000,000 SHU.
In 2005, at New Mexico State University Chili Pepper Institute near Las
Cruces, New Mexico, regents Professor Paul Bosland found Bhut Jolokia grown
from seed in southern New Mexico to have a Scoville rating of 1,001,304 SHU
by HPLC.
The effect of climate on the Scoville rating of Bhut Jolokia peppers is
dramatic. A 2005 study comparing percentage availability of capsaicin and
dihydrocapsaicin in Bhut Jolokia peppers grown in Tezpur (Assam) and Gwalior
(Madhya Pradesh), India showed that the heat of the pepper is decreased by
over 50% in Gwalior's more arid climate.
Elsewhere in India, scientists
at Manipur University measured Bhut Jolokia's average Scoville rating by
HPLC at only 329,100 SHU.
There was initially some confusion and
disagreement about whether the Bhut was a Capsicum frutescens or a Capsicum chinense
pepper, but DNA tests showed it to be an interspecies hybrid, mostly C.
Chinese with some C. frutescens genes.
Bhut Jolokia pods are unique among peppers, with their characteristic shape,
and their unusual rough, dented and very thin skin.
Fruits are triangular, pointed and
grow to 2-3", with wrinkled skin than ripens to red. Flavor is unbelievably
hot, several times that of the average Habanero.
The Bhut Jolokia is an interspecific hybrid from the Assam region of
northeastern India and parts of neighboring Bangladesh. It grows in
the Indian states of Assam, Nagaland and Manipur, and the Sylhet region of
Bangladesh. It can also be found in rural Sri Lanka where it is known as Nai
Mirris (cobra chili).
Originally from India, both ripe fruits and seeds should be
handled with care and protection.
80-90 days.
In 2007, Guinness World Records certified the Bhut Jolokia as the world's
hottest chili pepper, 401.5 times hotter than Tabasco sauce. On December
3, 2010, the Bhut Jolokia was replaced as the hottest known chili pepper by
the Naga Viper pepper, which has an average peak Scoville rating more than
300,000 points higher than an average Bhut Jolokia - but still not higher
than the hottest ever recorded Dorset Naga. In February 2011, Guinness
World Records awarded the title of "World's Hottest Chilli" to the Infinity
chili grown in Grantham, England. This chilli rates at 1,067,286 units
on the Scoville scale. Later the same month, on February 25, 2011, the
title returned to the Naga Viper pepper with a rating of 1,382,118 Scoville
Heat Units (SHU). Currently these figures are highly controversial among
the pepper growing community and tests with more rigorous scientific
standards are yet to be conducted on the many various peppers vying for
"world's hottest" status.
Etymology
The pepper is called different names in different regions. An article in the
Asian Age newspaper stated that experts in Assam are worried about a
distortion of the colloquial nomenclature of "Bhot" to "bhut", saying that
this word was misinterpreted by the (Western) media to mean "ghost".
The
article stated that people living north of the Brahmaputra River call the
pepper "Bhot jolokia", "Bhot" meaning "of Bhotiya origin", or something that
has come from the hills of adjoining Bhutan; on the southern bank of the
river Brahmaputra, this chili becomes Naga jolokia, believed to have
originated from the hills of Nagaland. An alternative source for Naga
jolokia is that the name originates from the ferocious Naga warriors who
once inhabited Nagaland.
Further complicating matters, a 2009 paper,
published in the Asian Agri-History journal, coined the English term "Naga
king chili" and stated that the most common Indian (Assamese) usage is bhoot
jolokia, which refers to the chili's large pod size, and gives the
alternate common name as bih jolokia (bih means "poison" in Assamese,
denoting the plant's heat).
The assertion that bhut (bhoot) means "ghost" is
claimed by researchers from the New Mexico State University, but as in the
article from the Asian Age, denied by Indian researchers from Nagaland
University. The Assamese word "jolokia" simply means the Capsicum
pepper. Other usages on the subcontinent are saga jolokia, Indian mystery
chili, and Indian rough chili (after the chili's rough skin). It has
also been called the Tezpur chili after the Assamese city of Tezpur. In
Manipur, the chili is called umorok, or oo-morok (oo = "tree", morok =
"chili").
The pepper is used in India in homeopathic preparations for stomach
ailments. It is also used as a spice as well as a remedy to
summer heat, presumably by inducing perspiration in the consumer. 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.
In 2009 as a weapon, scientists at India's Defence Research and Development
Organization announced plans to use the peppers in hand grenades, as a non
lethal way to flush out terrorists from their hideouts and to control
rioters. It will also be developed into pepper spray as a self defense
product.
R. B. Srivastava, the director of the Life Sciences Department at the New
Delhi headquarters of India's Defense Research and Development Organization
(who also led a defense research laboratory in Assam), said trials are also
on to produce bhut jolokia-based aerosol sprays to be used by potential
victims against attackers and for the police to control and disperse mobs.
Dorset Naga
Dorset Naga (Capsicum chinensis) is a subspecies of the original Naga,
selected from the Bangladeshi varieties of the chili, naga morich.
Annually, since 2005, the heat level of Dorset Naga has been tested, taking
samples from different sites, various seasons and states of maturity. The
heat level has ranged from 661,451 SHU for green fruit in 2007, up to
1,032,310 SHU for ripe fruit harvested in 2009.
High as the results were, the BBC's Gardeners' World television program
recorded a much higher heat level for Dorset Naga. As part of the 2006
programming, the BBC gardening team ran a trial looking at several chili
varieties, including Dorset Naga. Heat levels were tested by Warwick HRI and
the Dorset Naga came in at 1,598,227 SHU, the hottest heat level ever
recorded for a chili.
Polynesian Produce Stand
All good things take time, so
I grow my plants and rare palms in my
ebay store.
Much more to
check out or just get a little education on in my store.
Shipping
We ship via USPS Mondays-Wednesday with Delivery
confirmation.
All live plants are Inspected By USDA Plant Inspectors before
they are shipped to insure you get healthy pest free plants and seeds.
All live plants are shipped bare-root wrapped in moist
sphagnum moss to ensure the plants healthy transit to you.
ATTENTION INTERNATIONAL BIDDERS!
We can ship live plants to the US only. Only Domestic Shipping and Handling
includes USDA Certification.
We ship Seeds Internationally.
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Risk. Please spend no more more than you can lose!
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BUYER's responsibility.
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For foreign customers, please check your laws concerning permitting and customs,
additional shipping and handling costs may apply.
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INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING ON LIVE PLANTS is available only under these conditions!
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We
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Please only one Paypal payment. SO THE COMBINED SHIPPING RULE WILL CAN
BE USED. Multiple paypal payments are NOT eligible for
discounts.
We will ship once a week - ON or BEFORE WEDNESDAYS, because
of the special stamps needed to ship plants and cuttings to you. This can only be
done at the Dept. of Agriculture. If payments are not met before that MONDAY, your
items will be shipped the following week and lose the combined discount opportunity.
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INTERNATIONAL
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INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING ON LIVE PLANTS
We will combine shipping for auctions won on the same week paid with same paypal payment.
This policy is good for all items bought and paid for in the week ending MONDAY.
Payment must be received
within 7 days of the auction ending.
Combined
Discounts Won Auctions
For 2-3 winning auctions, the combined discount is 10% of the total Shipping and Handling
charges. For 4-7 winning auctions, the combined discount is 20% of the total Shipping and
Handling charges. For 7+ winning auctions, the combined discount is 30% of the total
Shipping and Handling charges.
As each order is packed and prepared separately you will pay the quoted S/H charges
individually per item. If you buy the same species in that item it does calculate out the
discount (i.e.: additional item $3.61). My stores' combined shipping is built in for same
items rather than a varied selection. Includes postage, USDA certification and inspection,
proper packing and delivery to Airport for prompt delivery. I cant really change any
of these. If you want one of this and one of that, it gets hard to discount much as each
different species requires it's own prep & packing, then at USDA each has to be
unwrapped and inspected then repacked. USDA requires me to clean and prepare every last
piece before we drive them to the Inspection Station on the other side of the island. It
takes my wife and I, a day to pack items and get ready to ship. The whole next day we
drive around the island and get inspected (2-3 hours), then drive to the Airport Post
Office to drop off. It takes the same work with the same type item if you can understand.
my
dog Taz will fetch your email to me
If you are dissatisfied
with the item, please contact me
before leaving a
negative or neutral comment.
I want you to be
satisfied.
Mahalo iâ `oe no ke kipa
`ana mai. E kipa mai hou!
Mahalo & Aloha!!
Rare Palm Seeds
Fresh
Highest Quality
Seller warrants seed to be of the variety and quantity advertised.
Safe delivery is guaranteed and seeds lost or damaged during shipment will be replaced at
seller's expense. Claims must be made within 7 days of shipment. All other replacements,
refunds, returns and exchanges will be made at the sole discretion of the seller.
Seed is a live product which depends on many important related grower skills such
as proper planting time, seed depth, type of soil, irrigation, proper use of fertilizers,
weed controls, fungicides, insecticides, disease free soil, and reasonable weather
conditions during the growing period. Germination is affected by such factors as
temperature, moisture content, light intensity and contamination of planting media. These
factors are totally out of the seller's control and are the buyer's responsibility and
risk. Consequentially, the seller cannot unconditionally guarantee seed to perform
properly regardless of conditions or the buyer's methods or mistakes.