The World's New Hottest Pepper - The Naga Viper

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John,

You're going to have to grow some Naga Vipers, now!

World’s hottest pepper is ‘hot enough to strip paint’
                By Brett Michael Dykes 

    –
    Fri Dec 3, 11:38 am ET

Fiery food mavens seeking to one-up each other now have to gear up for a whole new test of culinary bravado: the world's hottest chili pepper.
                Yes, the Naga Viper, the latest claimant to the world's-hottest-pepper crown, outdistances its predecessor, the Bhut Jolokia, or  "ghost chili," by more than 300,000 points on the famous Scoville scale
 of tongue-scorching chili hotness. Researchers at Warwick University 
testing the Naga Viper found that it measures 1,359,000 on the Scoville 
scale, which rates heat by tracking the presence of a chemical compound.
 In comparison, most varieties of jalapeño peppers measure in the 2,500 
to 5,000 range -- milder than the Naga Viper by a factor of 270.
                [Related: Most dangerous food ingredients]
                You might think the Naga Viper would hail from some 
part of the world with a strong demand for spicy food, such as India or 
Mexico. But the new pepper is actually the handiwork of Gerald Fowler, a
 British chili farmer and pub owner, who crossed three of the hottest 
peppers known to man -- including the Bhut Jolokia -- to create his Frankenstein-monster chili.
                "It's painful to eat," Fowler told the Daily Mail.
 "It's hot enough to strip paint." Indeed, the Daily Mail reports that 
defense researchers are already investigating the pepper's potential 
uses as a weapon.
                But Fowler -- who makes 
customers sign a waiver declaring that they're of sound mind and body 
before trying a Naga Viper-based curry -- insists that consuming the 
fiery chili does the body good.
                "It numbs your tongue, then burns all the way down," 
he told the paper. "It can last an hour, and you just don't want to talk
 to anyone or do anything. But it's a marvelous endorphin rush. It makes
 you feel great."
                [Related: Secret chili ingredients unveiled]
                A member of the Clifton Chili Club
 -- a group of Brits who travel around sampling chilis -- decided to try
 one of Fowler's Naga Vipers on camera. You can watch his 
less-than-pleasurable experience here.
                (Photo of Bhut Jolokia, the previous holder of the hottest pepper in the world title: AP/New Mexico State University)

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Boilermaker Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Chef Joined: 23 July 2010 Location: Marietta, GA Status: Offline Points: 685	Post Options Post Reply Quote Boilermaker Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: The World's New Hottest Pepper - The Naga Viper Posted: 04 December 2010 at 08:57
	John, You're going to have to grow some Naga Vipers, now! World’s hottest pepper is ‘hot enough to strip paint’ By Brett Michael Dykes – Fri Dec 3, 11:38 am ET Fiery food mavens seeking to one-up each other now have to gear up for a whole new test of culinary bravado: the world's hottest chili pepper. Yes, the Naga Viper, the latest claimant to the world's-hottest-pepper crown, outdistances its predecessor, the Bhut Jolokia, or "ghost chili," by more than 300,000 points on the famous Scoville scale of tongue-scorching chili hotness. Researchers at Warwick University testing the Naga Viper found that it measures 1,359,000 on the Scoville scale, which rates heat by tracking the presence of a chemical compound. In comparison, most varieties of jalapeño peppers measure in the 2,500 to 5,000 range -- milder than the Naga Viper by a factor of 270. [Related: Most dangerous food ingredients] You might think the Naga Viper would hail from some part of the world with a strong demand for spicy food, such as India or Mexico. But the new pepper is actually the handiwork of Gerald Fowler, a British chili farmer and pub owner, who crossed three of the hottest peppers known to man -- including the Bhut Jolokia -- to create his Frankenstein-monster chili. "It's painful to eat," Fowler told the Daily Mail. "It's hot enough to strip paint." Indeed, the Daily Mail reports that defense researchers are already investigating the pepper's potential uses as a weapon. But Fowler -- who makes customers sign a waiver declaring that they're of sound mind and body before trying a Naga Viper-based curry -- insists that consuming the fiery chili does the body good. "It numbs your tongue, then burns all the way down," he told the paper. "It can last an hour, and you just don't want to talk to anyone or do anything. But it's a marvelous endorphin rush. It makes you feel great." [Related: Secret chili ingredients unveiled] A member of the Clifton Chili Club -- a group of Brits who travel around sampling chilis -- decided to try one of Fowler's Naga Vipers on camera. You can watch his less-than-pleasurable experience here. (Photo of Bhut Jolokia, the previous holder of the hottest pepper in the world title: AP/New Mexico State University)

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