The ghost pepper, or bhut jolokia, is a superhot Capsicum chinense chilli from northeast India, officially recognised in 2007 as the world's hottest at around one million Scoville Heat Units.
What it is¶
The ghost pepper is a Capsicum chinense chilli from northeast India, known by many local names: bhut jolokia in Assamese, naga jolokia, raja mircha ("king chilli") and others. Genetic studies suggest it is mainly C. chinense with some C. frutescens in its ancestry. The pods are 6–8 cm long, wrinkled and thin-skinned, ripening from green to red (orange, yellow and chocolate types also exist).
It is extremely hot. Figures vary with growing conditions, but tests have commonly placed it at roughly 800,000 to just over 1,000,000 SHU, several times hotter than a habanero and a few hundred times hotter than a jalapeño. The English name is usually explained as a translation of bhut, meaning ghost or spirit, though whether that name refers to the heat or to something else (the Bhutia people have been suggested) is uncertain.
Origins and history¶
Chillies of this type have long been grown and eaten in northeast India, in Assam, Nagaland and Manipur, where they are an everyday ingredient rather than a novelty. Outside the region they were little known until around 2000, when Indian defence researchers reported a very high capsaicin content. In 2007 Guinness World Records recognised the bhut jolokia as the world's hottest chilli after tests at New Mexico State University's Chile Pepper Institute reported about 1,001,000 SHU, displacing the Red Savina habanero.
The ghost pepper held the title only briefly. Breeders in Trinidad, the United States and Britain produced still hotter C. chinense varieties, including the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion and the Carolina Reaper. See hottest chilli records. The ghost pepper's fame, however, created a global market for superhot chillies, sauces and eating challenges.
Flavour and aroma¶
For a second or two there is fruit, a sweet, slightly smoky, almost earthy flavour, and then the heat arrives, slowly at first and building for several minutes. It fills the mouth and throat, often causes sweating, watering eyes and hiccups, and can take 15–30 minutes or more to subside. Smoked ghost peppers, a tradition in parts of northeast India, add a woody, meaty note.
In the kitchen¶
In northeast India the chilli is used in small quantities, with great familiarity.
- Naga and Assamese cooking: pork stews with bamboo shoot and ghost pepper; fish curries; chutneys and pickles of fermented or smoked chillies. A single chilli, or part of one, may flavour a whole pot.
- Manipuri eromba: a mash of boiled vegetables, fermented fish and chilli.
- Sauces: ghost pepper is the basis of many commercial extra-hot hot sauces, diluted with vinegar, fruit and other chillies.
- Home use: a tiny sliver or a pinch of powder in a curry, chilli con carne or pickle. Start with a quarter of a pod in a dish for six and taste.
⚠️ Handle as a hazard
Wear nitrile gloves, and consider eye protection when cutting or blending. Ventilate the kitchen; cooking superhot chillies can release fumes that cause coughing. Wash boards, knives and hands thoroughly afterwards. See handling chillies safely.
Buying and storing¶
Fresh ghost peppers keep for one to two weeks in the fridge and freeze well; a frozen pod can be shaved into a dish from frozen. Dried pods and powder keep for a year airtight. Label them clearly and keep them out of children's reach: ghost pepper powder looks like ordinary chilli powder.
Substitutes¶
- Other superhot C. chinense chillies (7 Pot, Trinidad Scorpion, Carolina Reaper), used even more sparingly.
- Habanero or Scotch bonnet: much milder but with a similar fruity character; use three to five for the heat of one ghost pepper, depending on the pods.
- A few drops of a ghost-pepper hot sauce.
Pairs well with¶
Pork, fish, bamboo shoot, fermented fish, garlic, ginger, mustard oil, tomato, lime, mango, pineapple and vinegar.
Growing your own¶
Ghost peppers need a long, hot season. Sow indoors in January at 25–30°C, ideally with a heated propagator; germination can take two to five weeks. Grow in a warm greenhouse or conservatory; in Britain they seldom ripen outdoors. Plants reach 90–120 cm. Keep temperatures above about 18°C where possible, feed with tomato fertiliser once flowering, and wear gloves when handling ripe pods. Plants are perennial and crop earlier after overwintering. See growing chillies and overwintering chillies.
Health and safety¶
Superhot chillies cause intense pain and can trigger vomiting, stomach cramps and, in rare reported cases, more serious reactions, particularly when eaten in large quantities or as part of eating challenges. People with heart conditions, reflux, ulcers or other medical conditions, and children, should avoid them. Milk, yoghurt and other fatty foods help ease the burn; water spreads it. See extreme chilli risks and chilli eating contests.