Monday, July 28, 2008

Tiny Pepper with Big Burn

Yesterday I decided to eat this little Tabasco pepper. For some reason, it just didn't grow very large at all. But don't let its tiny stature fool you. It was HOT. I mean that really painful, eye watering, give me something to stop the burning NOW, kind of hot!

Look very closely, it's in the palm of her hand

On a dime

After finally getting my mouth to cool down a bit, I decided to conduct a little research on the heat ratings of my Tabasco relative to other peppers. I found that the pepper industry uses a standardized measurement known as the Scoville unit to rate the capsaicin content (heat) of all peppers. The Scoville scale dates back to 1912 and carries the name of its creator, American chemist Wilbur Scoville.

My Tabascos are rated at a very respectable 30,000 to 50,000 of Mr. Scoville's units. Jalapenos, by comparison, come in at a relatively Arctic 2,500 to 5,000. Serranos are a bit warmer at 5,000 to 15,000. The Habanero kicks things up alot with a rating of 200,000 to 350,000. A Red Savina Habanero can surpass even that, reaching a very painful 580,000 Scoville units. But even that scorcher fails to approach the world's hottest chili pepper. The Bangladeshi Bhut Jolokia (also known as the Naga Jolokia or Ghost Chili) obliterates all competition by registering an astonishing 1,001,304 units on the Scoville scale. Wow! I don't think I want one of those.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

That is one teeny tiny pepper with a big punch!

Anonymous said...

And, dear Internet, this was the first time I have seen my husband cry ;) That pepper apparently was HOT!!! He yelled for hot dog bun, milk, hurry!, anything!, all while sweating profusely and eyes running, it was quite a scene... I call it good, homegrown entertainment :)

DP Nguyen said...

Wow, how small and cute! The tiny ones seem to pack the much punch! hehe.

Eric Bronson said...

Awesomely hot!!!!