Examine individual changes

'{{short description|Chili pepper cultivated in Northeast India}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}} <!-- {{copy edit|for=tone, style and grammar|date=January 2014}} --> {{Infobox cultivar | name = Ghost pepper | image = BhutJolokia09 Asit.jpg | image_alt = Fresh ghost pepper | origin = [[Assam]], [[Nagaland]] and [[Manipur]] in [[Northeast India]]<ref>It is extensively cultivated in northeastern India, especially in the states of Assam, Nagaland and Manipur. https://www.frontalagritech.com/chillies-peppers-herbs</ref> | hybrid = ''[[Capsicum chinense]]'' × ''[[Capsicum frutescens]]'' | module = {{Infobox pepper | embed = yes | heat = Exceptionally hot | scoville = 1,041,427 }} }} The '''ghost pepper''',<ref>{{cite news|last=Gamillo|first=Elizabeth|date=3 August 2018|title=Ghost peppers are saving U.S. grasslands—by scaring off hungry mice|work=Science|location=|url=https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/08/ghost-peppers-are-saving-us-grasslands-scaring-hungry-mice|access-date=25 June 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Deepak|first=Sharanya|date=1 January 2019|title=The Incredible Story of Bhut Jolokia: From Rural India to Dumb YouTube Stunts|work=Taste|location=|url=https://www.tastecooking.com/many-lives-king-chile/|access-date=25 June 2019}}</ref> also known as '''''bhut jolokia''''' (which literally means '''ghost chili''' in [[Assamese language|Assamese]]<ref>"Bih jolokia translates to 'poison chilli' in Assamese spoken in the state of Assam. Bhut Jolokia translates to 'Ghost chilli' maybe as a result of the ghostly bite."{{Cite web|title=Bih Jolokia - Hottest Bih Jolokia pods for you..|url=http://www.pmrccorp.com/bih-jolokia.html|access-date=2020-08-15|website=www.pmrccorp.com}}</ref>), is an [[interspecific hybrid]] [[chili pepper]] cultivated in [[Northeast India]].<ref name="bosland">{{cite web |author=Shaline L. Lopez |url=http://www.nmsu.edu/~ucomm/Releases/2007/february/hottest_chile.htm |title=NMSU is home to the world's hottest chile pepper |year=2007 |accessdate=21 February 2007 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070219124128/http://www.nmsu.edu/~ucomm/Releases/2007/february/hottest_chile.htm |archivedate=19 February 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Associated Press">{{cite news |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/20058096 |title='Ghost chile' burns away stomach ills - Diet & Nutrition - NBC News |agency=Associated Press |year=2007 |accessdate=5 August 2007 }}</ref> It is a hybrid of ''[[Capsicum chinense]]'' and ''[[Capsicum frutescens]]'' and is closely related to the [[Naga Morich]].<ref name="hortscience">{{cite journal |author=Paul W. Bosland |author2=Jit B. Baral |title='Bhut Jolokia'—The World's Hottest Known Chile Pepper is a Putative Naturally Occurring Interspecific Hybrid |journal=Horticultural Science |year=2007 |volume=42 |issue=2 |pages=222–4 |url=http://www.chilepepperinstitute.org/content/files/JolokiaArt.pdf |access-date=11 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923202809/http://www.chilepepperinstitute.org/content/files/JolokiaArt.pdf |archive-date=23 September 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2007, ''[[Guinness World Records]]'' certified that the ghost pepper was the world's hottest chili pepper, 400 times hotter than [[Tabasco sauce]]. The ghost chili is rated at more than one million [[Scoville Heat Unit]]s (SHUs). However, in the [[race to grow the hottest pepper]], the ghost chili was superseded by the [[Trinidad Scorpion Butch T pepper]] in 2011 and [[Carolina Reaper]] in 2013.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/1/hottest-chili |title=Hottest Chili |publisher=[[Guinness World Records]] |accessdate=26 December 2013}}</ref> ==Etymology and regional names== In [[Assam]],<ref>"The origin of the Chili lies in the north-eastern of India, in the region of Assam." https://chili-plant.com/chilli-varieties/bhut-jolokia-chili/</ref> the pepper is also known as ''bih zôlôkia'' ('poison chili'), denoting the plant's heat.<ref name="raktim"/> In [[Assamese language|Assamese]], ''bih'' means ''poison'' and ''zôlôkia'' means ''chili'' or ''pepper'', making the literal translation ''poison pepper'', obviously referring to its extreme spiciness.<ref>https://smallaxepeppers.com/2019/05/01/how-hot-is-a-ghost-pepper/</ref> In [[Nagaland]], one of the regions of cultivation, the chili is called ''Naga jolokia'' ('Naga chili'; also romanized ''nôga zôlôkia'') and ''bhoot jolokia'' (also romanized ''bhût zôlôkiya'').<ref name="raktim">{{cite journal |title=Genetic Variability and Traditional Practices in Naga King Chili Landraces of Nagaland |pages=171–180 |author=Raktim Ranjan Bhagowati |journal=Asian Agri-History |year=2009 |volume=13 |issue=3 |url=http://www.agri-history.org/pdf/171%20to%20180.pdf |display-authors=etal |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720103043/http://www.agri-history.org/pdf/171%20to%20180.pdf |archivedate=20 July 2011 }}</ref> There is some dispute as to whether the latter name means 'large-pod chili', 'ghost chili', or should be rendered ''Bhot jolokia'' ('Ghost chili').<ref name="raktim"/><ref name="bhot">{{cite web |first=Manoj |last=Anand |url=http://www.asianage.com/presentation/leftnavigation/asian-age-plus/news-plus/assam%E2%80%99s-mirch-will-help-make-chilli-grenade.aspx |title=Assam's mirch will help make chilli grenade |work=[[The Asian Age]] |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20091207170242/http://www.asianage.com/presentation/leftnavigation/asian-age-plus/news-plus/assam%E2%80%99s-mirch-will-help-make-chilli-grenade.aspx |archivedate=7 December 2009 |accessdate=24 April 2012}}</ref> This name is especially common in other regions where it is grown, such as [[Assam]] and [[Manipur]].<ref name="raktim"/> Other usages on the subcontinent are ''Saga jolokia'', ''Indian mystery chili'' and ''Indian rough chili''.<ref name="raktim"/> It has also been called the ''Tezpur chili'' after the Assamese city of [[Tezpur]].<ref name="tezpur">{{cite book |title=The Complete Chile Pepper Book |page=158 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=90M5Tw0530gC&pg=PA158 |author=Dave DeWitt |author2=Paul W. Bosland |isbn=978-0-88192-920-1 |year=2009 |publisher=Timber Press}}</ref> In [[Manipur]], the chili is called ''umorok''<ref name="umorok">{{cite journal |title=Capsaicin Content and Pungency of Different Capsicum spp. Cultivars |pages=89–90 |author=Sanatombi K. |author2=G. J. Sharma |journal=Not. Bot. Hort. Agrobot. Cluj. |year=2008 |volume=36 |issue=2 |issn=1842-4309 |url=http://notulaebotanicae.ro/nbha/article/viewFile/345/346 |format=PDF}}</ref> or ''oo-morok'' ('tree chili'). ==Scoville rating== In 2000, India's Defence Research Laboratory (DRL) reported a [[Scoville scale|Scoville]] rating for the ghost pepper of 855,000 SHUs,<ref name="currscience">{{cite journal |author=Mathur R |title=The hottest chili variety in India |journal=Current Science |year=2000 |volume=79 |issue=3 |url=http://www.ias.ac.in/currsci/aug102000/scr974.pdf |pages=287–8|display-authors=etal}}</ref> and in 2004 a rating of 1,041,427 SHUs was made using [[High-performance liquid chromatography|HPLC]] analysis.<ref name="fa">{{cite web |url=http://www.frontalagritech.co.in/products/bihjolokia_gen.htm |title=Bih jolokia |year=2006 |accessdate=12 December 2006}}</ref> For comparison, [[Tabasco sauce|Tabasco red pepper sauce]] rates at 2,500–5,000, and pure [[capsaicin]] (the chemical responsible for the [[pungency]] of pepper plants) rates at 16,000,000 SHUs. In 2005, [[New Mexico State University]]'s [[Chile Pepper Institute]] in [[Las Cruces, New Mexico]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chilepepperinstitute.org/ |title=NMSU: The Chile Pepper Institute - Home |publisher=The Chile Pepper Institute |date= |accessdate=20 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161120165150/http://www.chilepepperinstitute.org/ |archive-date=20 November 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> found ghost peppers grown from seed in southern [[New Mexico]] to have a Scoville rating of 1,001,304 SHUs by HPLC.<ref name="bosland" /> Unlike most peppers, ghost peppers produce [[capsaicin]] in vesicles found in both the placenta around the seeds and throughout the fruit, rather than just in the placenta.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Bosland|first1=Paul|last2=Coon|first2=Danise|last3=Cooke|first3=Peter H.|title=Novel Formation of Ectopic (Nonplacental) Capsaicinoid Secreting Vesicles on Fruit Walls Explains the Morphological Mechanism for Super-hot Chile Peppers|journal=Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science|date=June 2015|volume=140|issue=3|pages=253–256|doi=10.21273/JASHS.140.3.253|doi-access=free}}</ref> ==Characteristics== Ripe peppers measure {{convert|60|to|85|mm|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|25|to|30|mm|abbr=on|1}} wide with a red, yellow, orange, or chocolate color. The unselected strain of ghost peppers from India is an extremely variable plant, with a wide range in fruit sizes and fruit production per plant, and offers huge potential for developing much better strains through selection in the future. Ghost pepper pods are unique among peppers because of their characteristic shape and very thin skin.<ref name="NatGeo May 07">{{Cite news |last=Barker |first=Catherine L. |year=2007 |title=Hot Pod: World's Hottest |periodical=[[National Geographic Magazine]] |volume=2007 |issue=May |page=21}}</ref> However, the red fruit variety has two different types: the rough, dented fruit and the smooth fruit. The rough fruit plants are taller, with more fragile branches, while the smooth fruit plants yield more fruit and is a compact with sturdier branches.<ref>Dremann, Craig Carlton. 2011. Redwood City Seed Company, Observations on the variations in the Bhut Jolokia pepper from seed reproduction growouts.</ref> It takes about 7–12 days to germinate at 32–38&nbsp;°C. {{col-begin}} {{col-break}} {| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%" |- ! Plant height | 45–120&nbsp;cm (17–47 inches) |- ! Stem color | Green |- ! Leaf color | Green |- ! Leaf length | 10.65–14.25&nbsp;cm |- ! Leaf width | 5.4–7.5&nbsp;cm |- ! Pedicels per axil | 2 |- ! Corolla color | Yellow green |- ! Anther color | Pale blue |- ! Annular constriction | Present below calyx |- ! Fruit color at maturity | Red is the most common, with orange, yellow and chocolate as rarer varieties |} {{col-break}} {| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%" |- ! Fruit shape | Subconical to conical |- ! Fruit length | 5.95–8.54&nbsp;cm |- ! Fruit width at shoulder | 2.5–2.95&nbsp;cm |- ! Fruit weight | 6.95–8.97&nbsp;g |- ! Fruit surface | Rough, uneven or smooth |- ! Seed color | Light tan |- ! 1000 seed weight | 4.1–5.2&nbsp;g |- ! Seeds per fruit | 19–35 |- ! Hypocotyl color | Green |- ! Cotyledonous leaf shape | Deltoid |} {{col-end}} ==Uses== [[File:Bhoot Jolokia ( Ghost Chili pepper ).jpg|thumb|The ghost pepper]] Ghost peppers are used as a food and a spice.<ref name="Associated Press" /> It is used in both fresh and dried forms to "heat up" curries, pickles and [[chutney]]s. It is popularly used in combination with pork or dried or fermented fish. In northeastern India, the peppers are smeared on fences or incorporated in smoke bombs as a safety precaution to keep wild [[Indian Elephant|elephants]] at a distance.<ref>{{cite web |last=Hussain |first=Wasbir |title=World's Hottest Chile Used as Elephant Repellent |publisher=National Geographic |date=20 November 2007 |url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/11/071120-AP-india-elephants.html |accessdate=21 November 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=''Ghost Chile'' Scares Off Elephants |work=National Geographic News website |publisher=National Geographic |date=20 November 2007 |url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/11/photogalleries/elephant-pictures |accessdate=18 August 2008}}</ref> The pepper's intense heat makes it a fixture in competitive chili-pepper eating.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/The-Gut-Wrenching-Science-Behind-the-Worlds-Hottest-Peppers-208350211.html#Burning-Desire-peppers-1.jpg|title=The Gut-Wrenching Science Behind the World's Hottest Peppers|author=Mary Roach|authorlink=Mary Roach|date=June 2013|publisher=Smithsonian Magazine}}</ref> ===Chili grenades=== {{Main|Chili grenade}} In 2009, scientists at India's [[Defence Research and Development Organisation]] (DRDO) announced plans to use the peppers in [[hand grenade]]s as a [[Less lethal weapon|nonlethal]] method to control rioters with [[pepper spray]]s or in self-defence.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ibnlive.in.com/news/armys-new-weapon-worlds-hottest-chili/111958-19.html?from=tn |title=Army's new weapon: world's hottest chili - Trends News - IBNLive |publisher=Ibnlive.in.com |date=24 March 2010 |accessdate=6 November 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/8119591.stm |title=South Asia &#124; India plans hot chilli grenades. |publisher=BBC News |date=25 June 2009 |accessdate=11 April 2010}}</ref> The DRDO said that ghost pepper-based aerosol sprays could be used as a "safety device", and "civil variants" of chili [[grenade]]s could be used to control and disperse mobs.<ref name="BBC24March2012">{{cite news |title=India scientists hail 'multi-purpose' chillis |first=Subir |last=Bhaumik |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8584988.stm |publisher=BBC News |location=[[City of Westminster]], England |date=24 March 2010 |accessdate=24 April 2012}}</ref> Chili grenades made from ghost peppers were successfully used by the [[Indian Army]] in August 2015 to flush out a terrorist hiding in a cave.<ref>{{cite news |title=Army used 'chilly grenades' to flush out Pak terrorist Sajjad Ahmed from a cave |url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/pakistani-militant-captured-army-used-chilly-grenades-to-catch-sajjad-ahmed/ |newspaper=[[The Indian Express]]}}</ref> ==Gallery== <gallery mode="packed"> File:Bhut jolokia 10 Days.JPG|Ghost pepper leaf, about 10-day-old plant File:Bhut jolokia leaf.JPG|Ghost pepper leaf, about 30-day-old plant File:Bhut jolokia plant 40 days.JPG|Ghost pepper plant, 40 days old, grown in coco peat File:Naga Jolokia Peppers.jpg File:BhutJolokia02 Asit.jpg File:BhutJolokia03 Asit.jpg File:BhutJolokia04 Asit.jpg File:BhutJolokia06 Asit.jpg File:BhutJolokia08 Asit.jpg File:Peach Bhut Jolokia Ghost Pepper.jpg|Peach ghost pepper File:Yellow Bhut Jolokia Ghost Pepper.jpg|Yellow ghost pepper File:Chocolate Bhut Jolokia Ghost Pepper.jpg|Chocolate ghost pepper File:Purple Bhut Jolokia Ghost Pepper.jpg|Purple ghost pepper File:Red Bhut Jolokia Ghost PepperParadise.org.JPG|Red ghost pepper </gallery> ==See also== * [[List of Capsicum cultivars|List of ''Capsicum'' cultivars]] * [[Nagabon]] ==References== {{Reflist|30em}} {{Chili peppers }} {{Capsicum cultivars}} [[Category:Capsicum cultivars]] [[Category:Chili peppers]] [[Category:Medicinal plants of Asia]] [[Category:Flora of Assam (region)]] [[Category:Geographical indications in Nagaland]]'